Last update - 00:00 28/12/2007
Police probe disappearance of holy relic from Rachel's Tomb
By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent
The police have been investigating in recent months the disappearance of an ornamental curtain covering the front of the Holy Ark in the chapel at Rachel's Tomb near the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
The curtain, or parochet, originally belonged to Joseph's Tomb. However, following the Israel Defense Forces' evacuation of the site after the outbreak of the second intifada, the tomb had been demolished by Palestinians and a mosque was erected in its stead. The parochet was then moved to Rachel's Tomb in northern Bethlehem for public display.
Thousands of visitors passed the parochet in recent years; some lit candles for remembrance and others prayed. It is still unclear how someone managed to remove this important item from its heavily fortified place.
Some suspect that the disappearance has to do with an ongoing dispute over the control of Rachel's Tomb.
The parochet disappeared in February for the second time since it was moved to Rachel's Tomb.
It first went missing when an unidentified man passed it on to a woman from the Alon Moreh settlement, whose daughter had been killed in a terrorist attack. The parochet was then returned to Rachel's Tomb, only to disappear again a week later.
MK Haim Amsalem (Shas) has recently filed a parliamentary question regarding this issue. Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said in response that the affair was being examined by the police.
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