Jews at Joseph’s Tomb for daytime prayers

For the first time in 26 years, Jews held an afternoon prayer service Sunday at Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus — a flashpoint holy site that has long been at the center of Israeli-Palestinian tensions. Knesset member Zvi Sukkot and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan joined worshippers, with participants unfurled a giant Israeli flag and calling for a permanent Israeli presence. Joseph’s Tomb became a symbol of the Second Intifada after Druze Border Police officer Madhat Yusuf was killed there in 2000. Israel later evacuated the compound, which was subsequently damaged by Palestinian rioters. Pictured (by Chaim Goldberg, Flash 90): Jews praying at the site on Jan. 29.