Israeli settlers attack, set fire to Romanian church in Jerusalem

Jerusalem (QNN)- Israeli settlers attacked and set fire to the entrance of the monastery of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Musrara, close to the religious Jewish orthodox quarter, today.

The local priest managed to extinguish the fire quickly. Recordings of surveillance cameras showed Orthodox Jewish fundamentalists attempting to set the monastery entrance on fire.

The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land (ACOHL) condemned the repeated Israeli settler attacks against the Romanian church.

“This act of vandalism is the fourth in a month that targeted the same monastery; according to the authorities, some religious Orthodox Jews are suspected as the probable assailants,” ACOHL said in a statement.

ACOHL condemned the “offensive” attack which undermines peaceful coexistence among different religious communities.

“We, Catholic Churches, unite with the Orthodox Churches and all other Christian communities of Jerusalem and strongly condemn such acts of vandalism that offend not only the life of Christians but also of many who still believe in dialogue and mutual respect. These acts are contrary to the spirit of peaceful coexistence among the different religious communities of the City,” it said.

It demanded that the Israeli occupation authorities open a serious investigation into the attack and prosecute the assailants.

“All political and religious authorities of the City should unite in condemning these acts so frequent in these last months in Jerusalem. For that reason, we demand the Israeli security authorities investigate these incidents seriously and bring assailants to justice,” it added.

“These acts and the rationale behind them prove, yet again, that it is necessary and urgent to work to make sure that all educational institutions in the Country educate their pupils on tolerance and respect to other religions, communities, and nations,” it said.

“We pray to the Almighty for granting wisdom to learn to live alongside each other, respecting each other’s dignity and rights,” the Assembly concluded.

The church is known for being a target of settlers’ attacks. Israeli authorities had expelled one of its monks, who has been known for confronting settlers’ attacks.

The Romanian Orthodox Church is one of the most important churches in the area. The increase of settlement in occupied Jerusalem has made it surrounded by extremist settlers.

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