The Tomb of the Patriarchs is believed to be the final resting place of the biblical patriarchs and matriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah. The tomb is located in the West Bank city of Hebron, site of the oldest Jewish community in the world.

The tombs of Abraham, Jacob, Sarah and Leah are open to Jews year round, whereas the tombs of Isaac and Rebecca are designated for Muslim worship only. Once a year for 10 days, usually during the Islamic Ramadan holiday, the Jewish sections are opened exclusively for Muslims. The Muslim sections are also opened for Jews once a year for 10 days, usually during Passover.

Last week, Muslims had that exclusive access to the tombs of Abraham, Jacob, Sarah and Leah.  When Jewish worshipers returned to the site this weekend, they discovered a foul smell in a synagogue on the Jewish side coming from the area of an Ark containing Torah scrolls.

"They had desecrated one of the holy arks. They had urinated right next to it. One of the men went in and found a big puddle of urine there next to the Ark," Hebron spokesman David Wilder told Israel National News.

Wilder and other Jewish witnesses said when they reentered the tomb they found Hamas flags in the markers of the burial chambers of Abraham, Jacob, Sarah and Leah.

Another Hebron spokesman, Noam Arnon,  said there is always some sort of damage discovered after Muslims get exclusive rights to worship at the Jewish areas of the tomb.

The book of Genesis tells us Abraham purchased the field where the Tomb of the Patriarchs is located as a burial place for Sarah his wife. Later, this same field became a plot for the rest of the family. Of course, Jacob's wife, Rachel, died when she gave birth while traveling and was buried on a road in Bethlehem.

Muslims also trace their lineage through Abraham. However, Palestinian leaders deny there is any Jewish claim to the Tomb of the Patriarchs.

Jews have lived in Hebron for well over 2,500 years, making it the oldest Jewish community in the world. There are even accounts of the trials of the city's Jewish community throughout the Byzantine, Arab, Mameluke and Ottoman periods.

King David was anointed in Hebron, where he reigned for seven years. A thousand years later, during the first Jewish revolt against the Romans, the city was the scene of extensive fighting in which many Jews were killed.

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