Inside the tomb of Rachel, from the male side. Photo: wiki commons.

One of the holiest sites in the Jewish religion was temporarily shut down on Monday, just south of Jerusalem in the West Bank, after masked Arab rioters threw stones at the Tomb of Rachel and those who had come to visit it.

Israeli security forces arrived and ushered worshippers near the entrance inside, until they could secure the area and prevent injuries from occurring.  After a confrontation between the rioters and IDF (Israel Defense Forces) personnel, access to the site was restored.

The tomb, which sits just south of Jerusalem, near Bethlehem, was supposed to be part of the internationally administered zone of Jerusalem following the United Nations Partition Plan in 1947, but was held by Jordan and off limits to Israelis, until 1967.