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Jerusalem monastery, Armenian cemetery vandalised
16:29 12/12/2012
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/society/view/28395
Vandals sprayed Monastery of the Cross and at an Armenian cemetery
overnight, police told AFP on Wednesday, in the latest apparent hate
crime by Jewish extremists.The attacks drew a strong condemnation from
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who expressed "disgust"
over the incidents, his office said.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said graffiti insulting to Jesus Christ
was "sprayed on the gates of the entrance of the Armenian cemetery...
and on a monastery belonging to the Greek Orthodox."
Outside the Monastery of the Cross near the Israeli parliament,
vandals also slashed the tyres of three cars belonging to staff, and
wrote "price tag" and "Happy Hanukkah" the Jewish holiday now being
observed by Israelis, an AFP correspondent said.
Father Claudius, the monastery's abbot, said he had noticed the
graffiti at 4:30 am (0230 GMT) when he got up to pray.
"This is the seventh time this has happened," he told reporters at the
scene, saying that if the vandals had simply knocked on the door he
would have invited them in for tea to talk to them about his faith.
A statement from Netanyahu's office said the prime minister had
expressed "disgust" over the attacks.
"The Jewish values by which we were raised, and by which we raise our
children, firmly reject such actions," he said in the statement.
"Freedom of worship for all religions in Israel will be preserved and
we will take legal action against the immoral people who committed
these crimes."
"Price tag" is a euphemism for revenge hate crimes by Israeli
extremists, which normally target Palestinians and Arabs.
Initially carried out in retaliation for state moves to dismantle
unauthorised settler outposts, they have become increasingly unrelated
to any specific government measures.
The attacks tend to involve the vandalism or destruction of
Palestinian property and have included multiple arson attacks on cars,
mosques and olive trees.
Perpetrators are rarely caught.
At first, the attacks were predominantly in the West Bank, but they
have expanded over time to include sites inside Israel and in
Jerusalem, where a number of Christian sites have been targeted.
Samri said a third apparent "price tag" attack had been reported in
the West Bank village of Shukba near Ramallah, in which attackers set
fire to a car and sprayed "price tag" and "happy holidays" nearby.
Police were investigating all three incidents, she said.
From: A. Papazian
16:29 12/12/2012
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/society/view/28395
Vandals sprayed Monastery of the Cross and at an Armenian cemetery
overnight, police told AFP on Wednesday, in the latest apparent hate
crime by Jewish extremists.The attacks drew a strong condemnation from
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who expressed "disgust"
over the incidents, his office said.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said graffiti insulting to Jesus Christ
was "sprayed on the gates of the entrance of the Armenian cemetery...
and on a monastery belonging to the Greek Orthodox."
Outside the Monastery of the Cross near the Israeli parliament,
vandals also slashed the tyres of three cars belonging to staff, and
wrote "price tag" and "Happy Hanukkah" the Jewish holiday now being
observed by Israelis, an AFP correspondent said.
Father Claudius, the monastery's abbot, said he had noticed the
graffiti at 4:30 am (0230 GMT) when he got up to pray.
"This is the seventh time this has happened," he told reporters at the
scene, saying that if the vandals had simply knocked on the door he
would have invited them in for tea to talk to them about his faith.
A statement from Netanyahu's office said the prime minister had
expressed "disgust" over the attacks.
"The Jewish values by which we were raised, and by which we raise our
children, firmly reject such actions," he said in the statement.
"Freedom of worship for all religions in Israel will be preserved and
we will take legal action against the immoral people who committed
these crimes."
"Price tag" is a euphemism for revenge hate crimes by Israeli
extremists, which normally target Palestinians and Arabs.
Initially carried out in retaliation for state moves to dismantle
unauthorised settler outposts, they have become increasingly unrelated
to any specific government measures.
The attacks tend to involve the vandalism or destruction of
Palestinian property and have included multiple arson attacks on cars,
mosques and olive trees.
Perpetrators are rarely caught.
At first, the attacks were predominantly in the West Bank, but they
have expanded over time to include sites inside Israel and in
Jerusalem, where a number of Christian sites have been targeted.
Samri said a third apparent "price tag" attack had been reported in
the West Bank village of Shukba near Ramallah, in which attackers set
fire to a car and sprayed "price tag" and "happy holidays" nearby.
Police were investigating all three incidents, she said.
From: A. Papazian