Radical jews invade worship service at Greek Orthodox Church

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH1wbfd-imQ

Jewish radicals attack Jerusalem's Church of Gethsemane during Sunday's worship
It has become clear that the Christian presence in the Holy Land is in grave danger from Jewish fundamentalists empowered by the new Israeli government.
https://mondoweiss.net/2023/03/jewish-radicals-attack-jerusalems-church-of-gethsemane-during-sundays-worship/?

Sunday, two Israeli radicals entered Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox Church of Gethsemane, destroying property and injuring Archbishop Joachim, who was leading the service. A second priest was also injured.

A video [see above] was recorded of the attack and the perpetrators' arrest.

In a statement released Sunday, The Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem, represented by Patriarch Theophilis III, laments that "terrorist attacks, by radical Israeli groups, targeting churches, cemeteries, and Christian properties, in addition to physical and verbal abuse against Christian clergy, have become almost a daily occurrence."

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Other recent incidents include the Christmas week takeover of Greek Orthodox land by settlers backed by Israeli police and the New Year's Day desecration of more than 30 graves at the Protestant Cemetery on Mt Zion. Toward Freedom reported that in January, an Armenian Christian restaurant in the Old City's Christian Quarter was attacked by a group of about 30 persons "wearing clothes indicating Jewish identity" and that in February, a Jewish tourist toppled a wooden statue of Jesus in a church in the Old City. Vatican News reported that last week "a Catholic school run by the Franciscan Sisters of Nazareth was targeted by gunshots fired by two unknown men."

"This dismal situation," the statement continues, "hasn't drawn any appropriate reaction, locally or internationally, despite appeals, requests, and protests made by the Churches of the Holy Land. It is painfully clear now that the authentic Christian presence in the Holy Land is in great danger."

General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, condemned the attack and expressed the global churches' solidarity with the Patriarch in calling for international protection of holy sites. "This terrible attack... is an egregious violation of international law," Pillay said.

Ramzi Khoury, Chairman of Palestine's Higher Presidential Committee on Church Affairs, also condemned the attack, saying, "The extremist and fascist Israeli government is the sponsor of all the crimes committed by settlers against the Palestinian people and against Islamic and Christian sanctities." Khoury also pointed out that this and other recent attacks coincide with the imminent arrival of the holy month of Ramadan and the Christian observance of Holy Week and Easter.

The Greek Patriarchate's statement ends by calling the international community "to intervene immediately to provide security and protection to the Christians of Jerusalem and to support the Hashemite Custodianship and its protection of the Jerusalem Holy Sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which are being subjected to deplorable forms of violations and attacks at the hands of radical Israeli organisations. The Patriarchate further demands that the necessary legal measures be taken against all those involved in terrorist crimes against any holy site."

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Russia Calls for Prosecuting Israelis Responsible for Attack against Jerusalem Church ]
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/russia-calls-for-prosecuting-israelis-responsible-for-attack-against-jerusalem-church/

The Russian Foreign Ministry called on Friday for bringing to justice those responsible for the attack against the Church of Gethsemane, in occupied East Jerusalem, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said that Moscow expects the Israeli authorities to provide an unequivocal assessment of what happened against the Gethsemane Church in Jerusalem, and to take comprehensive measures to prosecute those responsible for the attack.

Zakharova added that these offensive behaviors can only cause profound concern, stressing that the number of anti-Christian incidents has grown at an alarming pace recently, as churches, cemeteries of various Christian denominations, clergy, and monks, have become targets for these attacks.

"We are convinced that there is no justification and that there can never be any justification, for such criminal acts, and hope that the Israeli authorities will provide an unequivocal assessment of what happened and take comprehensive measures to bring perpetrators to justice and prevent the recurrence of such attacks in the future," Zacharova added.

The attack took place during the Sunday morning service at the hands of two Jewish settlers.