Dozens of Israelis enter synagogue, raise Israeli flag in Jericho

Dozens of Israeli settlers broke through the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) checkpoint in the West Bank city of Jericho where they entered a synagogue and raised the Israeli flag, Palestinian and Israeli media reported Sunday.

Between 35 and 50 right-wing activists entered Jericho, which is under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority and closed to Israelis according to the Oslo Accords, dpa reported.

They made their way to the ancient synagogue of Shalom al-Yisrae, which was torched during the Second Intifada. At least 35 were arrested by security forces and will be submitted to interrogation.

Kamel Hamed, governor of Jericho and the Jordan Valley, said that the incidents were "a dangerous precedent and provocation for the residents."

The head of the military coordination office Fayez Hamdan said that the locals in Jericho "were surprised to see over 50 settlers performing rituals at the synagogue" and entering the city "without previous notification or coordination."

"This is a violation of the agreements," Hamdan said.

Israeli and Palestinian media linked the incident to the declaration Sunday of two historic sites in the West Bank as Israeli national heritage sites. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday listed Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron in the national heritage register.

Settlers apparently saw the Netanyahu decision as a "green light," Palestinian news agency Maan said, while one of the activists told a local news station that the Israeli flag was raised to "renew our presence in Jericho."

"We want to renew the Jewish presence, which ended here in 2000 with the start of the intifada," the activist said.

Israeli Knesset member Michael Ben-Ari of the right-wing National Union was among those entering the city and declared: "The Oslo Accords are dead. We will not agree to the establishment of an enemy state in Israel right under our noses."

In recent years the Palestinian Authority has renovated the synagogue. Jews are given special permission to pray there on special occasions, escorted by IDF forces.