Christian leaders condemn attack on church near Bethlehem

Christian leaders have condemned a group of Muslim men for an attack on a church near Bethlehem and called on the Palestinian Authority to act quickly.

A group of Muslims attacked an Orthodox church in Beit Sahur, a predominantly Christian community near Bethlehem, throwing stones and wounding several people.

Christian Israeli human rights activist and parliamentary candidate Shadi Karul released a short video The attack on Twitter, asking: “Have you ever seen Christians in the Arab world attack a mosque in a Christian town and why not?”

Archbishop Atallah Hanna of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement condemning the attack, calling it an “unprecedented phenomenon”.

“What happened in Beit Sahul on Friday night has distorted the image of our people and damaged the peace within the country and the good relationship that binds us together as sons of the Palestinian people,” Hannah said, as the Palestinian people’s jerusalem post Sunday.

“The church is not a place to settle accounts, sedition and undermine the unity of our people. What happened in Beit Sahr is horrible.”

Wadie Abunassar of the Holy Land Catholic Church visits his Facebook account condemn of last week’s attack, saying he was “sad and angry to see what happened”.

“I ask the Palestinian Authority not to tolerate the aggressors, but to bring them to justice as soon as possible! Praying this morning for the Palestinian people to be free from tyranny and occupation,” said Abul Nassar, adding that seeing “the majority of the people in the city” unity, including all religious and family components,” which was “reassuring” to support the Church.

according to America opens its doorsthe U.S.-based Christian persecution watchdog group, Palestinian Christians often find themselves at odds with Israeli authorities and the Muslim-majority Palestinian territory.

“Palestinian Christians face racial persecution from Israelis as a result of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Their ethnicity leads to many restrictions on the Israeli side,” Open Doors said. “Palestinian society is conservative, and conversion to Christianity from Islam or from one denomination to another is unacceptable or socially undesirable due to the close ties between family and religion. Laws in the West Bank generally protect religious freedom, Gaza’s laws are restrictive.”

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