For the first time since Israel withdrew from Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem in October 2000, Mispalelim on Sunday held an afternoon Mincha at the site. Attendees described the event as a historic milestone in efforts to expand Jewish access to one of the most sensitive and sought-after locations in Judea and Samaria.

For years, visits to Kever Yosef have been limited to infrequent and tightly coordinated military operations conducted in the middle of the night, with Jews typically allowed only a couple hours at the site before being escorted out. Just weeks ago, Jews held the first Shacharis prayer there since 2000, itself a major expansion of access in decades. Sunday’s Mincha represented the next step in that process, bringing organized Tefilah to the site during normal afternoon hours for the first time in 26 years.

The entry was coordinated with the IDF and approved by senior military and political officials. Advocates have also pushed for the return of the Od Yosef Chai yeshiva, which left the compound when Israel withdrew during the Second Intifada.

Supporters view the latest expansion as part of a gradual effort to reverse restrictions that have been in place since 2000. Defense Minister Israel Katz approved expanded daytime access to the site late last year, paving the way for the recent changes.

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan welcomed the move, saying: “This is a significant step toward the historic correction and the full return of Israeli sovereignty to the holy compound of Kever Yosef. Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and in our holy places is not only a legal or security matter — it is recognition of historical justice and our right to the land.”

MK Tzvi Sukkot, chairman of the Knesset Subcommittee for Judea and Samaria, called the Tefilah part of a broader effort to reverse Israel’s withdrawal from the site during the Second Intifada. “This is an important and meaningful step in the process of correction, after which more steps will come until we reach the goal — a full Jewish return to Kever Yosef,” he said. Sukkot described the 2000 withdrawal as “the injustice of abandoning the Kever” and said restoring a sustained Jewish presence there is both “a moral and security correction of the first order.”