Israeli assaults against Christians climb: Palestinian bishop

JERUSALEM

Israeli assaults against Christian clergymen in occupied East Jerusalem are on the rise, according to a Palestinian bishop on Monday.

“There are increasing attacks against Christians and Christian holy sites by Israeli extremists,” Bishop Emeritus of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Munib Younan, told Anadolu.

He said the Israeli government is not serious about bringing those behind the attacks to accountability.

"If the perpetrators are not held accountable, they will continue their attacks,” he warned. “But if one person is punished, this will be a deterrent."

Israeli police arrested two Jewish settlers on Sunday for spitting on a Christian clergyman in occupied East Jerusalem.

A video published by Israeli media showed two settlers spitting on and cursing a Christian abbot in Jerusalem’s Old City.

The two settlers were placed under house arrest pending investigation, the police said in a statement.

"The house arrest is not a deterrence," the bishop said, adding that Israeli police do not react to attacks against Christian clergymen.

“The continuing attacks are an indication of the incitement taking place in Jewish religious schools,” he added.

In recent years, there has been an increase in Israeli attacks against Christian clergy in Jerusalem, whether by settlers who often spit on monks and verbally assault them or by the police themselves, who have been involved in several incidents of physically assaulting them.

The incident came as tensions continued to soar across the occupied West Bank amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed at least 27,478 Palestinians and injured 66,835 others since Oct. 7.

The Israeli army has since killed 381 Palestinians, injured 4,400 others and detained 6,512 people in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian figures.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara