Palestinians torch Joseph's Tomb ahead of 'rage' day

Kim Hjelmgaard | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Palestinians Set Fire to Jewish Shrine in West Bank Palestinians set fire to a Jewish shrine in the West Bank on Friday as the Islamist group Hamas called for a day of rage against Israel, with tensions still running high after two weeks of violence.

Palestinians late Thursday set fire to a religious site in the West Bank revered by some Jews as the tomb of biblical patriarch Joseph.

In a separate incident Friday, a Palestinian impersonating a journalist stabbed an Israeli solider.

The attacks came as the militant group Hamas called for a "day of rage" against Israel to begin following afternoon prayers.

Palestinian security forces extinguished the blaze early Friday at Joseph's Tomb, a small stone structure in the West Bank city of Nablus.

The tomb has become a popular prayer site in recent years among some religious Jews.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israel's Defense Forces, said the "burning and desecration of Joseph's Tomb (was) a blatant violation and contradiction of the basic value of freedom of worship."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack and called for an investigation.

Separately, the IDF said that one of its soldiers was stabbed in Kiryat Arba, a town on the outskirts of Hebron. The soldier was lightly wounded and the assailant, who was disguised as a news photographer, was shot on site, the IDF said.

The Palestinian man had been wearing a T-shirt with the word "press" written on it.

The two incidents arrived at a time of heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.

Eight Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks over the last month, the majority of them as a result of stabbings.

Over the same period, 31 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 14 labeled by Israel as attackers. The rest were killed in clashes with Israeli troops.

Hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza on Friday clashed with Israeli troops.