Israeli Leaders, Rabbis Condemn Monastery Attack
Israeli leaders and rabbis reacted angrily to the vandalism of the Dormition Abbey compound in Jerusalem.
Over the weekend, anti-Christian slogans such as "Christians to hell" and "Death to the heathen Christians, the enemies of Israel" were scrawled on the wall in Hebrew in red ink.
The Abbey is a Benedictine Monastery located on Mount Zion just outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City. It's near the place where many Christians believe Jesus shared the Last Supper with his disciples as well as the traditional site of King David's Tomb.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack.
"There is no place for actions like these," Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting on Sunday. "Israel is a place where Christians and all other religions enjoy freedom of worship and the only place in the Middle East where the Christian population is growing."
He said the police were working to find "those responsible."
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan was quoted in the Jerusalem Post saying that Israel has "zero tolerance" for anyone undercutting "our fundamental democratic principles and freedom of religion."
"Such acts of hatred not only threaten Christians, but also are a reprehensible affront to our Jewish heritage," Rabbi David Rosen, of The American Jewish Committee, said.
Even the head of the Israel Tour Guides Association, Bennny Kfir, decried the attack, saying the vandals "deter tourists" thereby hurting Israel's economy.
