Israelis arrested at Joseph's Tomb

Israeli police on Tuesday arrested a group of Israelis on an illegal trip to a flashpoint religious site where several Jews were shot by Palestinian police last month. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the group was arrested near the contested Joseph's Tomb site by the northern West Bank city of Nablus. "We arrested more than a dozen Jewish worshippers who were at Joseph's Tomb without authorisation," Rosenfeld told AFP. The group appeared to be extremists who arrived at the tomb shortly after an authorised group of around 200 Jewish worshippers prayed there. The arrival of the smaller group provoked clashes with Palestinian youths, who throw stones at their cars, an AFP photographer at the scene said. Many Jews believe the tomb to be the final resting place of the biblical Joseph, and the site is a pilgrimage destination. But it lies in a Palestinian-controlled area and Israelis are not allowed to visit unless they are part of an Israeli military-escorted trip coordinated in advance with the Palestinian Authority. Last month, one Israeli was killed and several others were wounded when Palestinian police opened fire on an unauthorised group near the tomb.