"Tensions high at West Bank holy site; Arabs fret as more Jews visit" by Matti Friedman, Associated Press / June 1, 2011
NABLUS, West Bank —Convoys of buses carrying 1,600 Jewish worshippers began driving into Nablus in waves for prayers at Joseph’s Tomb. Escorted by olive-drab army jeeps and dozens of ground troops, it was the biggest group to reach the site since the military began regularly allowing visits four years ago.
Then it is OFFICIAL STATE POLICY, isn't it?
The lead bus was crammed with ultra-Orthodox Jews in long black coats and settler teens in jeans and T-shirts.
When the buses finally moved into Nablus, Israeli soldiers in battle gear were visible securing the route, standing by closed shops and clumped beside a Bank of Palestine ATM.
Organizers, members of the hard core of Israel’s settlement movement, see the visits to the traditional gravesite of the biblical Joseph as a mix of religious duty, assertion of ownership, and show of force. For many observant Jews, Nablus is part of the biblical land promised to the Jews by God....
The absolute arrogance is astounding.
Palestinians view them as a provocation and an attempt by Israeli extremists to create a political foothold inside their city, which is one of the main autonomous zones established by the interim peace accords of the 1990s. The Palestinians hope to make the entire West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, part of a future independent state....
Related:
I don't know how you are going to get a state out of that when Israel says they are keeping all settlements (as they continue to expand) and want all of Jerusalem.
Maybe THIS is a better answer: Memory Hole: Future Vision of Israel
Nablus was a militant hotbed in the Arab uprising last decade. The city’s Arabs and residents of nearby settlements, considered hard-line by many other settlers, view each other with animosity.
Yeah, "settlers" -- AS IF NO ONE WAS ALREADY LIVING THERE!!
--more--"
