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The event was initiated by MK Tzvi Sukkot together with Yossi Dagan, head of the Shomron Regional Council, with the goal of building broad consensus across Israeli society and the political establishment to correct a historical and moral injustice: the removal of Jewish life from this sacred site.

Held in the Knesset’s Jerusalem Hall, the gathering drew a long list of senior cabinet members, including Betzalel Smotrich, Ze’ev Elkin, Orit Strock, Moshe Arbel, Ofir Sofer, Amichai Eliyahu, Amichai Chikli, Idit Silman, as well as Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein, and many other MKs.

Bereaved parents, rabbinic leaders, and public figures addressed the crowd, emphasizing the importance of Kever Yosef as an eternal inheritance of Am Yisrael and a vital anchor for security in the region.

MK Tzvi Sukkot, the event’s organizer, declared:

“The fact that Kever Yosef is disconnected from a continuous Jewish presence is a historic injustice. The time has come to fix this—to return to the place that is the foundation of our identity. We will not be satisfied with hurried visits in the middle of the night. A full-time presence here is not only a right—it is a moral, national, and security obligation.”

Yossi Dagan added:

“Kever Yosef belongs to all of Am Yisrael. When we weren’t in Jenin—terror rose. When we entered—terror declined. The same holds true for Shchem. Returning to Kever Yosef brings security and corrects a historic wrong. The Shomron Regional Council is ready and waiting for government approval to rebuild a Jewish neighborhood around the kever and to return the Yeshivas Od Yosef Chai to its rightful place.”

Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich said:

“I feel we are close to the moment of return. In the Defense Ministry, we’re already discussing it. We are standing on the threshold of a historic process.”

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel asked:

“What could be more discriminatory than preventing Jews from praying at a holy place just because they are Jews? We are not here only by force of arms but by the strength of our rights.”

Ze’ev Elkin emphasized:

“In recent years, we’ve been correcting many injustices left over from Oslo. This too must be fixed. Just as we repealed the Disengagement Law in Northern Shomron, so too must we establish a permanent presence in Kever Yosef.”

Amichai Eliyahu added:

“This is our watch—our generation. A generation that reconnects to its roots and spirit will triumph.”

Amichai Chikli said:

“Just as Am Yisrael did not abandon Yosef’s bones in Egypt, we have the same obligation today not to abandon them in Shchem.”

Orit Strock stated:

“Kever Yosef reminds us what agreements are really worth—nothing. Only Jewish presence will determine reality.”

Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman concluded:

“We are here to repair history. Every day the candle burns, there is still time to fix.”

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana summed up:

“Our connection to Yosef proves we have never broken the chain of generations. Where we flee from terror, terror pursues us. Returning to Kever Yosef restores security. This is our land. Am Yisrael Chai. Od Yosef Chai.”

Throughout the conference, participants received a security assessment signed by Major General (res.) Gershon Hacohen and other senior defense officials, outlining the strategic, moral, and national necessity of restoring Jewish life to the site.

The message was clear: This is not just a dream—it is a duty.

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