Two Israeli teens arrested after vandalising Christian cemetery

Police have arrested two teens for vandalising some 30 graves and tombstones at the Protestant Mount Zion Cemetery in Jerusalem last week. 

A statement said: “This was a deliberate act of vandalism. After several investigative acts, two suspects were arrested yesterday, aged 14 and 18, both residents of central Israel.”

The desecration, caught on security cameras, was widely condemned, including by Israel’s Foreign Ministry which called it an “immoral act” and an “affront to religion.”

“Any damage to religious institutions and sites is serious, and harms the unique and delicate life that exists for the members of all religions in the city. We have a continued commitment to maintaining security and order, as well as an uncompromising and determined fight against lawbreakers wherever they are,” the commander of the Jerusalem district police was quoted saying at a meeting with the Greek patriarch.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, echoed the labelling of the attack, calling it “a blasphemous act.”

The cemetery contains the graves of 77 military individuals, as well as the former Bishop of Jerusalem, Samuel Gobat.

Anglican Archbishop Hosam Naoum visited the cemetery after the attack,  saying it seemed to be part of a trend in Israel:”We have noticed that hatred speech and hatred crimes are on the rise.”

Jewish community leaders also issued harsh condemnations of the desecration, most notably by UK Chief Rabbi Mirvis who said this was a “shameful vandalism” and a “disgraceful desecration for which I hope the perpetrators will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

A similar act of vandalism against a Christian cemetery took place in 2018. Israel’s Foreign Ministry then condemned the desecration of the cemetery of the Beit Jamal Monastery, calling it a “despicable act.”

Christian leaders in Jerusalem have warned about the threats against the community, while Palestinian Christians in the West Bank have warned that its community is seriously dwindling, with many of its members emigrating to other countries in search of a better life.