Factions say 'no way' to settler visits in Nablus

Ma'an- ...The group called the move a "dangerous indication," saying PA police should "protect our people from occupation forces and settler aggression instead of protecting the settler leaders."

Factions questioned the motives of the police, and cast suspicion on increased coordination with Israeli forces, accusing them of colluding with the occupation and working to oppress Palestinians.

The statement, signed by officials from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Palestinian People's Party, the Palestinian Democratic Union (Fida), the Palestinian Liberation Front, and the Arab Liberation Front, was the latest reaction to changes in the way visits to the area are coordinated.

Israel has made illegal settler visits to the area without military accompaniment, citing security concerns.

The tomb area has experienced a fraught history since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, with an 1975 order prohibiting Palestinians from visiting the area, despite its integration into local worship and culture.

This move was followed closely by the establishment of a Jewish religious school in the tomb, with tents set up outside, and large wire fences erected around the area.

Samaritans, a community of Jews living on Mount Gerazim who hold Palestinian identity cards and who live and work in the city as part of Nabulsi society, also revere the site. The original tomb was angled towards the mountain where the community lives. It was recently re-positioned to face Jerusalem by settler groups.

The site was part of an Israeli military outpost adjacent to the village of Balata, now a suburb of Nablus. Read more