Israeli authorities have been unable or unwilling to put an end to the phenomenon, said the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue’s report, titled “Attacks on Christians in Israel and East Jerusalem.”
The NGO attributed the rise to “the broader socio-political climate.”
“The ongoing shift towards the far-right, a growing sense of nationalism, and the emphasis on Israel primarily as a state for the Jewish population have collectively undermined both the legal and perceived sense of equality for any minority within the country,” said the report.
In 2023, according to the group, there were 11 instances of verbal harassment, seven violent attacks, 32 attacks on church properties, a cemetery desecration, and 30 formally reported cases of spitting at or toward clergy and pilgrims. The report noted that every clergy member the Rossing Center spoke to in 2023 said they were spit at multiple times a week.
The more violent attacks are carried about by young adults from “the marginalized part of ultra-Orthodox society,” Hana Bendcowsky, director of the Rossing Center’s Jerusalem Center for Jewish – Christian Relations, told The Times of Israel.
The harassment comes from a range of Israeli men — from children to adults, right-wing settlers to ultra-Orthodox — but all religious, she said.
There were other alleged violations as well. Religious figures were asked to remove crosses, and police sharply reduced the numbers of attendees allowed to the Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem on Easter, citing security concerns. READ MORE
