Dozens of graves in a Protestant cemetery in Jerusalem have been vandalized, local Christian leaders reported on Wednesday, January 4, expressing their "
dismay
".
Israeli police said they have opened an investigation.
Overturned crosses and damaged graves have been discovered in the Protestant cemetery on Mount Zion, adjacent to the Old City of Jerusalem and where Jesus ate his last meal with the apostles according to Christian tradition.
“
We discovered more than 30 tombstones and crosses broken into pieces
,” said Hossam Naoum, Anglican bishop in Jerusalem.
Anti-Christian facts caught on video surveillance
CCTV footage released on social media and local media shows two men wearing traditional Orthodox Jewish attire throwing rocks and knocking down memorials.
“
These criminal acts were motivated by bigotry and anti-Christian hatred
,” the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem said in a statement, also mentioning the surveillance footage.
"
We are not only appalled but also very saddened
," said Hossam Naoum, adding that the cemetery dates from the mid-19th century and includes the graves of several clergy, scientists and politicians.
Some of them "
are people of great importance who have contributed to the history of Jerusalem and to the lives of people here
", he added.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Twitter that "
this immoral act is an affront to religion
".
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Mount Zion, the place of the Last Supper according to Christian tradition, is also important for Jews who believe that King David is buried there.
In December 2021, leaders of the Jerusalem Churches claimed that Christians had “
become the target of repeated attacks by radical and marginal groups
” in Jerusalem and elsewhere in the Holy Land.
They had denounced the inaction of the authorities, accusations then deemed "
unfounded
" by Israeli diplomacy.