Sometime in the late hours of Thursday or the early hours Friday, the
Church of the Dormition on Mount Zion just outside the walls of
Jerusalem's Old City was vandalized with anti-Christian and pro-settler
graffiti and the tires of two vehicles parked outside the church were
slashed and punctured.
Cleaning graffiti off the Church of the Dormition Friday
“Jesus Is A Monkey” And Pro-Settler Graffiti Painted On Jerusalem Church
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Again.
Thursday night, another a church in the Jerusalem area has been vandalized in an apparent anti-Christian price tag attack.
As in previous attacks, the perpetrators appear to be Hilltop Youth or other radical Jewish West Bank settlers and their supporters. And as in most previous attacks, Israel’s police force has yet to make any arrests. The perpetrators have disappeared; all that remains in plain view is their hate.
According to Ha’aretz, sometime in the late hours of Thursday or the early hours Friday, the Church of the Dormition on Mount Zion just outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City was vandalized with anti-Christian and pro-settler graffiti and the tires of two vehicles parked outside the church were slashed and punctured.
Just like in several previous attacks on Christian holy sites, the words "Jesus is a monkey" were painted on the church doors. Next to that were the words “Havat Maon,” the name of an illegal settler outpost torn down by the government that same week.
The church was built over a century ago near the presumed site of the Last Supper by the Catholic Church’s Franciscan order. It is one of the order's most important holdings in Israel.
This is the second time the Dormition Church has been hit by anti-Christian pro-settler vandals. The first such attack took place in October 2012.
On Friday, Bishop Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem, said education was the answer to preventing racist acts like this.
“It is absolutely necessary to stop these acts of vandalism by promoting better education of youth, especially in schools…[this would necessitate] a long-term process [that would call for] a lot of patience,” Shomali said.
The vandalism was also condemned by the Latin Patriarchate which called it a “despicable attempt to undermine coexistence between believers.”
Of the dozens of price tag attacks in Jerusalem during the past two years, almost all were directed at Christians, although an abandoned mosque and the homes of left-wing activists were also targeted.
Outside of Jerusalem, mosques, churches and Arab villages have all been targets as have Arab-owned olive groves and crops, which were burned or otherwise destroyed.
Indeed, on Friday police found price tag graffiti and vandalized cars in Beit Ilo north-west of Ramallah.
The Tag Meir forum unites organizations that fight against "price tag" attacks. Tag Meir members visited the Arab village of Zubeidat Friday morning. The village, located northeast of Jericho, was hit by a price tag attack on Wednesday. Four cars and a tractor were burned and price tag graffiti was spray painted.
During Wednesday’s visit, the Tag Meir delegation met with Brigade Commander Lieutenant Colonel Lauren Fartush, who reportedly told them that it would only be a matter of time until the perpetrators are found and arrested.
"We will do whatever it takes to protect the peace of residents and their property," Fartush reportedly said.
Few price tag assailants are ever found.