Israeli Leaders Denounce Anti-Christian Graffiti at Monastery
Joel C. Rosenberg
“The entrance door to a century-old monastery near Jerusalem was burned away and anti-Christian graffiti was sprayed on the walls Tuesday, in what Israeli police said appeared to be a nationalistic attack,” CNN reports. “The phrase ‘Jesus is a monkey’ was painted on the walls of Latrun Monastery in large orange letters…Families were evacuated from the outposts over the weekend by Israeli government forces. The Rev. Louis Wahbeh, of the 19th century monastery, told CNN that he was shocked that anyone would plan and carry out such an attack. ‘This is a direct insult to our belief,’ he said. ‘We can’t understand how such people can get to this low level of not respecting others, have no ethical background and don’t have any human values.’”
Israeli leaders are to be commended for denouncing these heinous anti-Christian attacks. The Prime Minister’s Office issued the following statement: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch and was updated on the actions being taken by the Israel Police to apprehend those who desecrated the Latrun Monastery. ‘Those responsible for this reprehensible act need to be punished severely. Freedom of religion and freedom of worship are among the most basic foundations of the State of Israel,’ the Prime Minister said.”
