Israeli army assaults Christian celebrants in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army assaulted Palestinian participants at a Christian celebration on Tuesday evening west of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian sources.

The official Palestinian WAFA news agency reported that Israeli troops attacked people marking St. George’s Day in the old town of al-Khader, firing tear gas and stun grenades.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its crews transported one injured person to a hospital after he was beaten inside the Monastery of St. George.

Local activist Ahmad Salah told Anadolu that hundreds of people had gathered for the celebration, known locally as “Eid al-Khader” (the Feast of St. George).

The event is attended by residents of the village from both Muslim and Christian communities and is considered a key seasonal and tourism occasion for the area, he added.

Each year on May 5-6, churches that follow the Eastern calendar in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour and Beit Jala mark the feast of St. George with prayers and religious services, while Muslims also participate through attendance, festivities and trade.

According to WAFA, the rituals begin with participants walking barefoot from their homes in Bethlehem to the monastery.

The monastery belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church and was originally built in 1600 before being rebuilt in 1912.

In Christianity, St. George is believed to have slain a dragon and later settled in the village that now bears his name after leaving his hometown of Lod, in what is now central Israel.

Recent incidents involving attacks on Christian symbols and clergy have drawn criticism of Israel in Christian communities worldwide.

Among the latest cases was an Israeli soldier destroying a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon. Earlier, Israeli police prevented Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in East Jerusalem during April holidays and imposed restrictions on Christian participation in Easter celebrations.

Multiple incidents of Israeli occupiers spitting on churches and clergy in Jerusalem have also been documented, along with attacks on churches in Gaza during the genocide that began in October 2023.

Israeli occupiers’ attacks on religious sites in Jerusalem and the West Bank have also been reported in recent years.

Churches around the world have criticized Israel’s recent wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul