Radical Jewish elements have vandalized the Christian cemetery on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Another case of religious intolerance occurred in Israel, while Israel's new security minister Itaman Ben-Gvier provoked Muslims for "walking" with a large number of security personnel in the Square. Mosque here, an act condemned by the Arab world and much of the international public.
Israeli authorities have not found the culprit behind the vandalism of the Anglican cemetery on Mount Sion: many graves were damaged. A security video shows two men, the head of the Jewish Kippah team, destroying the tombstones at 3:25 p.m. last January 1 afternoon: they smashed the tombstones and threw stones at the graves.
In a statement, Israeli police explained that they had arrived, after receiving a report of vandalism at the cemetery accompanied by pictures: the tombstones were overturned and parts of the wall were damaged. .
This cemetery is the property of the Association of the Missionaries of the Church and was inaugurated in 1848 by the then Anglican bishop of Jerusalem, Samuel Gobat.
Christian leaders in the Holy Land have long been alarmed by the escalation of radical Judaism, which threatens the very survival of Christian communities.
Last December, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Christian Churches in Jerusalem issued a joint statement, warning of the risk of radical Jewish groups aiming to narrow the Christian presence there.
The Mount Sion cemetery attack is the latest in a series of threats. Some cases are signed with a “price tag”, meaning “price to pay” to threaten Christians and Muslims for “seizing Jewish land” and the perpetrators can be found in Jewish groups. extreme attitude. In the past, the group has vandalized various targets, including churches near the Upper Room, the Basilica of Nazareth or Catholic and Orthodox institutions. Both mosques and Muslim places of worship were vilified.
Previously, these incidents occurred only in areas near Cisjordani and Jerusalem, but now spread to much of Israel.
On the other hand, the international community is also protesting that the new Israeli government's security minister, Mr. Ben-Gvier, provoked Muslims, on the morning of January 3, was escorted by a large number of security personnel. Main Temple of Islam in Jerusalem. At the request of the United Arab Emirates, Emirati and China, the United Nations Security Council convened on January 5 to discuss the case. Europe and the United States, as well as the Arab world, unanimously condemned such an unprecedented provocation. A spokesman for the US State Department expressed concern about such unilateral acts, which could increase tensions.
(Asia News 4-1-2022)
