Right wing extremists connected to the Hilltop Youth and other West Bank
Jewish settler extremists are believed to have vandalized the Latrun
monastery on the outskirts of Jerusalem early this morning in what
police believe is the first “price tag” attack in retaliation for the
forced evacuation of Migron settler outpost last week.
“Jesus Is A Monkey” Painted On Monastery By Jewish Extremists
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Right wing extremists thought to be connected to the Hilltop Youth and other West Bank Jewish settler extremists are believed to have vandalized the Latrun monastery on the outskirts of Jerusalem early this morning in what police believe is the first “price tag” attack in retaliation for the forced evacuation of Migron settler outpost last week.
Vandals reportedly painted “Jesus is a monkey” along with a list of the illegal settler outposts in large orange letters on the outside walls of the monastery building. They also set the monastery's front door on fire.
The attack took place at approximately 3:30 a.m. and was discovered by monks almost immediately and reported to police.
Police formed a special investigative unit to deal with the attack and assigned eight policemen to it.
“We said the evacuation of Migron would raise the anger and burning incitement from a public who feels embittered,” Kahanist and right-wing activist Baruch Marzel told the Jerusalem Post. “I hope that in the future the government and courts will avoid steps that only strengthen the polarization in the country and lead to price-tag [attacks].”
The New Israel Fund’s Tag Meir umbrella group of left of center and progressive organizations condemned the attack.
"The hand that desecrated the Laturn monastery this morning is the same hand that threw the Molotov cocktail at Palestinian family in Bat Ayin, which is the same hand that carried out a lynching of Arab youths in [Jerusalem's] Zion Square, which is the same hand that desecrated and ignited more than ten mosques and churches in the past two years, and is the same hand that wrote the racist Torat Hamelech book,” Tag Meir’s chairman Dr. Gadi Gvaryahu said in a statement.
Several “price tag” retaliation attacks on Palestinians took place last month. And Arab family riding in a taxi on the West Bank was also attacked with a firebomb, leaving one serious injured and the others, including the cab driver, burned. Several young Jewish teens from the settlement of Bat Ayin – which was founded by extremist Chabad rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburg, whose students wrote the Torat Hamelech book Gvaryahu mentioned – have been arrested in the attack.
According to police, in February, two cars and a stone fence at the Valley of the Cross Monastery in Jerusalem were painted with anti-Christian graffiti including “Jesus drop dead,” “Death to Christians” and “Kahane was right.” The cars’ tires were slashed. The vandals also left tags reading “The Maccabees of Migron” and “price-tag.” The grade school of Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education elementary school was also vandalized. “Kahane was right” and “death to Arabs” tags were painted on its wall.
Last week, Rabbi Hershel Schachter, the rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva University’s rabbinical school in Manhattan, published an inflammatory anti-Christian article that misrepresented Catholic Church teachings and which falsely accused the Church of actively trying to convert Jews. It also misrepresented Churchs policy on Israel and Middle East peace.
Schacter’s article drew wide condemnation from Jews, including Orthodox Jews who are rabbis, involved in interfaith dialogue with the Church.
Some American-born West Bank settlers are former students of Schachter’s.
In the 19th Century, the Latrun Monastery served as a way station for pilgrims traveling from the port of Jaffa to Jerusalem in the 19th century. The current monastery building is newer than that, however – it was built in 1890, 58 years before the founding of the State of Israel.
[Hat Tip: Yosef Ben Matityah.]