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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.

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 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.”

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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I take it these 2 Jewish terrorists will be placed in “Indeterminate Administrative Detention” and their family Homes will be Demolished and relatives be thrown out on the street along with their furniture and family pets.

Goose —Gander.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230322-christians-will-face-jail-in-israel-for-proselytising-under-proposed-bill/

Christians will face jail in Israel for proselytising under proposed bill...Christians could face one year prison sentence for encouraging conversion to their faith, according to a new controversial legislation being introduced in Israel. The legislation which is being proposed by ultra-Orthodox members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition would also proscribe Christians from engaging in religious discussion with Jews…titled Proposetd Penal Law: Amendment – Prohibition of Solicitation for Religious Conversion – 2023, the legislation is introduced by United Torah Judaism’s Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher. The law would apply to anyone who would attempt to persuade someone to change their religious beliefs, however the legislation specifically mentions the Christian faith, saying that “recently, the attempts of missionary groups, mainly Christians, to solicit conversion of religion have increased.”
( but it’s only proposed – not to worry! )

“In Jerusalem, attacks on Christians are on the riseSince the beginning of the year, there have been five cases of vandalism or violence by Jews in Jerusalem. Churches are denouncing the inaction of Israeli authorities.

This was the fifth attack in five weeks against Christians, their places of worship and their properties in the Holy Land, compared with 13 in the whole of 2020 and nine in 2021, according to figures collected by the Jerusalem Inter-church Center and the Protecting Holy Land Christians campaign, which covers various Christian churches. In a statement, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem said, “It is no coincidence that the legitimation of discrimination and violence in public opinion and in the current Israeli political environment also translates into acts of hatred and violence against the Christian community.” “Welcome to the new Christian-hating Israel, encouraged and supported by the current government!” tweeted Father Nikodemus Schnabel of the Dormition Abbey, just outside the Old City walls of Jerusalem.”

Are the Christians in America who have been funding, and protecting these racists for decades now happy that they seem to have increased their attacks on Churches, and behaving like thugs in Holy places? Are they going to ignore this too, like they did when the Al Aqsa Mosque was attacked and desecrated? They made this monster by enabling it.

Do they still think that Jesus will want to return to an apartheid nation, that occupies, steals, and kill innocent civilians including little children? They had better sit down and think long and hard about it.

We should figure out a way to spread knowledge of these attacks, and this proposed law, to the Christians who support Israel. It will be interesting to see how they react. Jewish Zionists have been relying on Christian Zionists to fill the losses from young Jews in the diaspora, who can’t stomach Israel any more. Let’s see what this does to that allyship.

And btw, regarding conversion, I remember reading, years ago, about some “guest workers” — those people recruited from south and east Asia to fill the low-paying jobs that Palestinians used to do — who wanted to convert to Judaism. Why? Same reason Jews in the 19th century converted to Christianity. They were refused.

Clearly these 2 gentlemen had a drink or 2 too many , got themselves lost and were just having a spot of Jewish fun.

No need to be so sensitive.It,s not as if they were not in their “Historical Jewish Homeland”.

WTFTI ???????.