A number of extremist Israeli settlers spray-painted racist graffiti against Jesus Christ on the main gate of the Franciscan Monastery, located in Jerusalem. This is the second attack against a Christian Holy Site since last month.The settlers wrote the graffiti during late night hours, and fled the scene before being noticed.
Senior officials of the Franciscan Monastery issued strong condemnations of the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu, and described the Israeli attacks against Muslim and Christian holy sites as “ugly and disgusting”.
The monastery said that these attacks are a natural outcome of fundamentalist and hostile conducts and ideologies practiced by extremist right-wingers in Israel.
David Newhouse, of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, stated that Israel is not acting against these racist attacks, and its educational system fails to educate the students against these types of fundamentalist and racist crimes.
The Israeli Radio reported that this is the first time ever that a senior official of the Catholic Church issuers such a sharp and direct criticism against the Jewish extremists, and against Israel.
The Franciscan Monastery also issued a strong condemnation of the attack, and said that Israel should not allow such racist attacks to be carried out, and must seriously act against these “rude attacks”, the Palestine News Network (PNN) reported.
It added that such racist violations do not only violate the rights of Christians living in the Holy Land, but also violate the rights and religious beliefs of millions of Christians around the world.
The Monastery called on Israel to act and said that the assailants must be apprehended, and Israel must start acting against Jewish fundamentalism and extremism, as this extremist harms the relations between different faiths.
The attack is part of the Price Tag attacks carried out by extremist Israeli settlers against the Palestinian people, Christian and Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, and in different parts of Palestine.
Last month, extremist settlers burnt the main gate of the Latrun Monastery west of Jerusalem, and wrote racist graffiti against Jesus Christ and against Christianity.
Extremist settler groups are responsible for numerous racist attacks against the Palestinian people, their lands and their holy sites. Several mosques were torched, and several Christian and Islamic graveyards were desecrated.
Commenting on the most recent attack against the Latrun Monastery, head of the Negotiations Department of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Dr. Saeb Erekat, said that these attacks are “manifestations of a culture of hatred and racism among Israelis, encouraged by 45 years on Israeli occupation”.
Dr. Erekat added that textbooks in Israel and official statements by its leaders are advocating that Jerusalem, the Holy City, should only be for the Jews, without any recognition of Islamic and Christian holy sites.
“Such statements and books have paved the way for extremists to conduct their crimes”, Dr. Erekat said, “Those gangs are attacking Islamic and Christian holy sites with impunity”.
Dr. Erekat stated that the International Community must assume its responsibilities and hold Israel accountable for its crimes and violations against the Palestinian people, and the holy sites.
It is worth mentioning that extremist Israeli settlers carried out more than 60 attacks during the past year, targeting both Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Palestine.
