Rania Abushamala
02 May 2026•Update: 02 May 2026
An Israeli occupier desecrated one of the holiest Armenian churches St. James Cathedral in Jerusalem’s Old City, according to a footage shared by the Jerusalem Governorate.
Security camera footage, shared late Friday, shows the individual spitting multiple times on the entrance of the church, before raising his middle finger and using his other hand to mockingly form the shape of a cross.
The incident took place in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City, home to key religious sites and a long-standing Armenian Christian presence.
The latest incident comes after an Israeli occupier assaulted a nun in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Hundreds of clergy and nuns from around the world serve in churches and religious institutions in East Jerusalem.
Recent years have seen a noticeable rise in attacks by Israelis against Christian and Muslim clergy, as well as against religious sites in the occupied city.
Churches in East Jerusalem have repeatedly called on Israeli authorities to take firm action to stop such attacks.
About 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in hundreds of settlements in the occupied West Bank, including around 250,000 in East Jerusalem, and carry out daily attacks against Palestinians.
Since October 2023, attacks by Israeli forces and occupiers in the West Bank have killed at least 1,155 Palestinians and injured about 12,000 others.
