https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2022/05/desecration-josephs-tomb-what-lessons-can-be-drawn-ari-lieberman/
I recently visited the Tomb of Rachel also known as Kever Rachel, located just south of Jerusalem in “Area C,” near the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Bethlehem. Bethlehem is in “Area A,” which denotes full Palestinian control. Kever Rachel has been identified as the place where the Matriarch Rachel was interred and has been revered by Jews for centuries, though Palestinians and their eager apologists now claim it as a site exclusively holy to Muslims.
As I was exiting, I couldn’t help but recall the stark contrast between how the place used to look like before Israel transferred control of Bethlehem to Yasser Arafat’s PA. Back then, it was a quaint, simple structure with a white dome and large menorah perched on the rooftop. Entrance to the site was made through a gate that was flanked by two impressive Ottoman Sebils. Hanging above the gate was a sign in Hebrew that said “Kever Rachel Imeinu,” which translates to the Tomb of Rachel our Mother.
Today, the original structure is entombed in a fortress-like building and is virtually unrecognizable. The change was made necessary due to several violent attempts by Palestinians to ransack the place and harm visiting Jewish worshipers. Their desire to destroy the site is rather ironic given their claim that Kever Rachel is a holy Muslim site.
In 1995, Israel transferred control of Bethlehem to the Arafat and his gang of gunmen in the misguided belief that they were dealing with rational people. Rachel’s Tomb however, perched just on the outskirts of Bethlehem, was retained by Israel. Concurrent with this transfer, Israel ceded control of the city of Shechem (Nablus) as well. Within Shechem was another site holy to Jews known as Kever Yosef or the Tomb of Joseph, believed by some to be Joseph’s final resting place. Palestinians claim this site to be holy to them as well but evidence for this remains scant.
Kever Yosef, which housed a synagogue was also retained by Israel, and a small force of Israeli troops was garrisoned there to protect the site and ensure the safety of worshipers. But in October 2000, following an outbreak of extreme Palestinian violence, Israel ceded Kever Yosef to the PA in a misguided effort to placate the rioters. Predictably, Palestinian rioters then stormed the tomb, destroying fixtures and torching prayer books. They then proceeded to paint its white-domed roof green, symbolizing the completion of the Islamic takeover.
