JERUSALEM (RNS) A decision to include two West Bank shrines in a list of Jewish heritage sites slated for preservation has been praised by religious and right-wing Jews and scorned by Palestinians and their supporters.
Speaking at a Feb. 21 cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would add Rachel’s Tomb and The Tomb of the Patriarchs to the list of dozens of heritage sites he unveiled the previous week. Netanyahu has pledged more than $100 million to revitalize Jewish heritage sites and build an historical trail linking them.
Rachel’s Tomb is the traditional burial place of the biblical matriarch Rachel. It is located just inside Palestinian-controlled Bethlehem, next to Jerusalem.
The Tomb of the Patriarchs, located in the even more volatile West Bank city of Hebron 20 miles south of Jerusalem, is believed to contain the remains of the biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as the matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah. The second holiest site in Judaism, it is also sacred to Muslims, who call it Al-Haran Al Ibrahimi.
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