The Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue, an interreligious peace-building organization in Jerusalem, has released a report documenting increased harassment of Christians in the Holy Land.
The 2023 Annual Report, produced in collaboration with the Religious Freedom Data Center, shows a significant rise in attacks, including spitting, physical and verbal harassment, and damage to Christian properties.=
In 2023, 90 known attacks were recorded, with 30 cases of spitting, 11 instances of physical and verbal harassment, and 32 attacks on properties. Notable incidents included the desecration of the Protestant cemetery at Mount Zion and vandalization of a statue of Jesus inside the Franciscan shrine of the Flagellation on Via Dolorosa.
The data collection was made possible through cooperation with Christian churches and civil society partners.
The report details that most violent attacks were perpetrated by marginalized ultra-Orthodox Jewish men with nationalist views. However, spitting and verbal harassment often came from ultra-Orthodox community members, both young and old.
Police intervention proved effective in some cases, such as stopping the picketing of the Carmelite Monastery in Haifa. Despite the challenges, Christian leaders say there is a need for continuous monitoring, reporting, and interfaith dialogue to address the growing hostility.
Pray for peace in the Holy Land! 🙏
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