Israeli police said Friday they had arrested two teenagers from central Israel for the “deliberate” vandalism of a Christian cemetery in Jerusalem that caused damage to about 30 graves.
In a statement, police said they opened an investigation after receiving the report of the destruction and finding it was “a deliberate act of vandalism”. After several acts of investigation, two suspects were arrested yesterday, aged 14 and 18, both residents of central Israel.
Police have not identified the suspects or detailed their alleged motivation.
The statement said Jerusalem District Police Commander Doron Turgeman met with Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilus III on Thursday to update him on the investigation into the incident at Mount Zion Protestant Cemetery.
“Every attack on religious sites or institutions is serious and harms the unique and fragile fabric of life that exists in the city for members of all faiths and sects,” Turgeman told the Patriarch.
The announcement of the arrest follows international condemnation of the vandalism, including from the United States.
Jerusalem District Police Commander Doron Turgeman (L) meets with Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilus III in Jerusalem on January 5, 2023 (Israel Police)
Concerned to see a Mt. The sacred site of Sion is once again targeted. We have spoken with the churches and welcome Israelis, the PA and internationally. the community calls for accountability. Vandalism of religious sites by anyone is unacceptable. Jerusalem must be a city for all its inhabitants,” the US Office of Palestinian Affairs wrote on its Twitter account.
Biden administration anti-Semitism envoy Deborah Lipstadt tweeted, “I condemn this despicable act. The desecration of all holy sites is unacceptable and the sanctity of burial must be respected. Families have the right to lie down peacefully to rest their loved ones.
“We must work together to speak out against all forms of hate where and when they occur,” she added.
Widely shared security camera footage on Sunday showed two young men – both wearing Jewish skull caps and tzitzitthe ritual knotted bangs worn by observant Jews – breaking into the cemetery, knocking down stone crosses and smashing and trampling headstones, leaving a trail of debris and broken headstones.
Widaw, Senior Jewish Mishakhitim at the Hebron Palestinian Hospital in Bar Zion, Atmol. pic.twitter.com/NnCBvGkL6U
– Nir Hasson (@nirhasson) January 3, 2023
Samuel Gobat, then Bishop of Jerusalem, opened the cemetery in 1848. It is now owned by the Church Missionary Trust Association Ltd, an Anglican organization.
Gobat’s grave was among those damaged along with those belonging to three British Mandate policemen.
The Foreign Office denounced the attack as an “immoral act” and “an antagonism to religion”. The Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum, called it a “clear hate crime”. The British consulate said it was just the latest in a series of attacks on the Christian community in the holy city of Jerusalem.
Mount Zion, associated in Christian tradition with the site of the Last Supper which Jesus shared with his followers before his crucifixion, is equally sacred to Jews and Muslims and has been at the center of competing religious claims throughout the conflict that has lasted for decades between Israel and the Palestinians.
Hosam Naoum, a Palestinian Anglican bishop, stands where vandals desecrated more than 30 graves at a historic Protestant cemetery on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, January 4, 2023. (AP Photo/ Mahmoud Illean)
In December 2021, Christian leaders in the Holy Land warned that their communities were under the threat of being driven out of the region by radical Israeli extremist groups, and called for dialogue on preserving their presence.
Patriarchs and church leaders in Jerusalem issued a joint statement also warning of the danger posed by radical groups which they say aim to “diminish the Christian presence”.
Extremist Jewish activists have for years carried out acts of vandalism against Christian sites in Jerusalem and other parts of Israel, including hate graffiti and arson. Extremists also target Palestinians.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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