Israeli police arrested six suspects after an attack on the historic St. James Armenian Monastery in Jerusalem's Old City. Church leaders say the incident reflects a broader pattern of intimidation and violence targeting Christian communities.
INR Report: Based on reporting by RT HERE
Israeli police have arrested six religious Jewish suspects following an attack on the historic St. James Armenian Monastery in Jerusalem's Old City, an incident that has drawn renewed attention to concerns over violence and harassment directed at Christian communities in the Holy Land.
According to police, the group—comprising five minors and one adult—were filmed spitting at the monastery entrance, banging on its gates and throwing stones at the compound on Sunday evening.
The Incident
Police said the suspects also threw stones toward an Armenian woman after she began filming the incident from a nearby building, while allegedly shouting abuse in her direction.
All six suspects were later located and arrested. Authorities barred three from entering Jerusalem's Old City for 15 days and sought extended detention orders for the remaining three through the courts.
Church Response
The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem lodged a formal complaint following the attack and called on US Ambassador Mike Huckabee to encourage Israeli authorities to recognise such incidents as hate crimes.
Church representatives say the attack is part of a broader pattern of harassment directed at Christian clergy, pilgrims and religious sites in Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories.
A Growing Pattern
According to the report, Christian leaders have documented repeated incidents involving clergy and worshippers being spat on, verbally abused and physically assaulted by some ultra-Orthodox and nationalist Jewish extremists.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported multiple spitting incidents involving Christian clergy during a nationalist march through Jerusalem earlier this year. It also referred to an April incident in which a French nun was reportedly pushed to the ground on Mount Zion and sustained a head injury.
Dormition Abbey Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel told the newspaper that Christians are routinely "hit, spit at, beaten," adding that many incidents go unreported.
Political Debate
The Jerusalem-based Rossing Center says reported incidents targeting Christians have almost doubled between 2023 and 2025 and are on track to reach another record this year.
Critics argue that some extremists have become emboldened under Israel's current governing coalition, while pointing to previous comments by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has previously defended spitting at Christian clergy as a long-standing Jewish custom and questioned whether it should be treated as a criminal offence.
Israeli officials maintain that violence and religiously motivated attacks are treated seriously and say authorities are taking action against offenders. Church leaders, however, argue that many complaints receive little practical follow-up and warn that ongoing intimidation is contributing to the gradual decline of some of Christianity's oldest communities in the region.
Does This Affect New Zealand?
New Zealand has long supported freedom of religion and the protection of religious minorities through international law and diplomatic engagement.
For New Zealanders, the incident highlights continuing religious tensions in Jerusalem—a city regarded as sacred by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. It also underscores wider concerns about the protection of historic religious communities and sites as conflict and political divisions continue to affect the region.
Sources
- RT – Religious Jews attack Christian monastery in Jerusalem (VIDEO).
- Statements from the Armenian Patriarchate (as reported by RT).
- The Wall Street Journal (as cited by RT).
- Rossing Center (as cited by RT).
Independent reporting. Original context. Credited sources.