Thousands of extremist Jewish settlers backed by Israeli army forces stormed a local shrine near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus at dawn Friday.

“After arriving in hundreds of buses, about 6,000 Jewish settlers forced their way into the site, where they performed Talmudic rituals,” Ahmed Shamekh, an official at the nearby Balata Palestinian refugee camp, told Anadolu Agency.

According to Shamekh, the settlers -- who were accompanied by hundreds of Israeli soldiers and dozens of military vehicles -- included Israeli Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel of the right-wing Jewish Home Party.

The religious site, which Jews refer to as “Joseph's Tomb”, has long been a flashpoint for violence.

Jews believe it to be the burial place of the biblical patriarch Joseph. Muslims, however, challenge this assertion, saying an Islamic cleric -- Sheikh Yussef Dawiqat -- was buried at the site two centuries ago.

Palestinian family survives second settler arson attack Jewish settlers early Friday set fire to a house belonging to the Palestinian Dawabsheh family in the village of Duma near the West Bank city of Nablus, according to eyewitness.“A group of settlers attacked our home at dawn today, breaking a window and throwing a Molotov cocktail inside before fleeing the scene,” Yasser Dawabsheh, the home’s owner, told Anadolu Agency.“Fortunately, I heard them before they attacked, so I was able to get my family out of the house,” he said.“Local fire crews reacted swiftly and extinguished the blaze before the whole house burnt down,” he added.Police are reportedly investigating the incident.The Ramallah-based Palestinian government, for its part, held Israel squarely responsible for the attack.In a Friday statement, government spokesman Yusuf al-Mahmoud described the incident as “yet another crime in the long list of offenses for which the [Israeli] occupation remains fully responsible”.He added: “Silence on the part of the international community -- along with U.S. President Donald Trump’s support for the occupation -- encourages the Israeli regime to continue its violations against the Palestinian people and their property.”In July of 2015, Israeli settlers torched the Dawabsheh family’s West Bank home in a much deadlier attack that claimed the lives of Saad and Riham Dawabsheh and their 18-month-old baby.Their eldest son, Ahmed, 6, survived the attack, but suffered severe burns that have affected his mobility.At the time, the incident sparked international outrage, with the Dawabsheh family accusing Israel of dragging its feet in prosecuting the suspects despite admissions by Israeli officials that they knew who was responsible.Video: Palestinians dress as 'Avatar' characters during Great March of Return

Sheikh banned

In a related development, the Israeli authorities on Friday banned Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of Jerusalem’s Supreme Muslim Council, from entering the occupied West Bank.

According to the sheikh’s son, Ammar, Sabri was summoned to police headquarters in Jerusalem early this morning.

“The Israeli authorities handed him a court order banning him from entering the West Bank for four months for ‘suspected links with terrorist organizations that harm Israel's security’,” Ammar said.

Last month, the Israeli authorities slapped Sabri with a one-month travel ban.

The decision, which was signed by Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, came into force on May 1.