The destruction of a statue of Jesus by an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon has triggered widespread anger among Palestinian Christians, who described the act as “an assault on a religious symbol and the feelings of believers,” amid growing local and international condemnation.
Video footage circulating Sunday showed an Israeli soldier smashing the statue with a pickaxe in the town of Debel in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army acknowledged the incident in a statement on Monday.
Palestinian Christians who spoke to Anadolu said the incident reflects Israeli “disrespect” for religions, pointing to longstanding restrictions imposed by Tel Aviv on Palestinian access to holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.
The incident was not the first involving damage to Christian religious symbols in Lebanon.
In September 2024, Israeli airstrikes destroyed the Mar Georges Church in the town of Derdghaiya in the Tyre district. In April 2025, the Israeli army destroyed a statue of Saint George in the town of Yaroun in Nabatieh governorate, with videos showing a military bulldozer carrying out the demolition.
‘Behavior rooted in hatred’
Speaking from Bethlehem, Jack Jaqman, a Catholic Christian, said the incident reflects “behavior rooted in hatred toward religions.”
“What is happening in Lebanon cannot be separated from what is happening in Palestine and the region,” he told Anadolu.
He added that Christians in Lebanon are “being directly targeted” and that the act represents “an attack on a religious symbol, not an isolated incident.”
He accused the Israeli army of failing to respect religions.
“The behavior of some soldiers reflects hostility toward everything that is religious and human,” he said, pointing to repeated targeting of Christian presence in Lebanon and Palestine.
Jaqman also highlighted restrictions on Palestinian Christians, including difficulties accessing holy sites in East Jerusalem, particularly the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during religious occasions.
Israel had closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Al-Aqsa Mosque for 40 days since the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28, citing security concerns, before reopening them on April 8 following a two-week ceasefire announcement.
Father Issa Thaljieh, a Greek Orthodox priest at the Church of the Nativity, told Anadolu that Israeli restrictions on permits to enter the church and access to East Jerusalem continue to hinder participation in religious rites.
‘Painful but not surprising’
Shadi Ayad, from Beit Sahour, described the scene as “deeply painful but not surprising,” saying the cross symbolizes faith, suffering, and love for Christians.
The incident highlights “a contradiction between Israel’s stated respect for religions and the reality on the ground,” he said, pointing to restrictions on freedom of worship and movement.
Ayad criticized what he described as “policies of closure and restriction,” including barriers, military procedures, and limits on access to East Jerusalem and religious sites that affect daily religious life.
Palestinian pastor Munther Isaac called for directing anger toward attacks on civilians and widespread destruction in Gaza and Lebanon, rather than focusing solely on the destruction of a statue of Jesus by an Israeli soldier.
“The outrage shouldn’t be about a destroyed statue of Jesus—abhorrent as that is,” Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Ramallah, said in a post on US social media company X.
“The real outrage is the targeting of civilians, the assault on human dignity, and the devastation in Gaza and Lebanon. War is evil. We need accountability,” he added.
Outrage
Earlier on Tuesday, Palestinian daily newspapers paid heavy coverage to the destruction of the Jesus statue of an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon.
The incident drew condemnation from Catholic church leaders in East Jerusalem on Monday, who described it as a “serious violation of religious symbols and human dignity” and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar issued an official apology, describing the act as “grave and disgraceful,” and said an investigation would be launched.
However, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that the soldier would not face a criminal investigation and would instead be subject to “only disciplinary measures.”
The Israeli army said it “views the incident with great severity,” claiming that the soldier’s action "does not align with the values of the army or the expected conduct of its soldiers.”
Since March 2, Israel has carried out attacks in Lebanon that have killed 2,294 people, wounded 7,544, and displaced more than 1 million before US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire.
Despite the agreement, Israeli forces remain deployed in southern Lebanon within what they describe as a “security zone” extending up to 10 kilometers from the border, from the Mediterranean coast to the slopes of Mount Hermon, according to earlier remarks by Defense Minister Israel Katz.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul
