Jewish extremists attack Catholic monastery in Israel
Beit Shemesh, Israel, Aug 22, 2013 / 01:09 am (EWTN News)
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A monastery caught fire in Israel, after Jewish extremists threw a bomb at it and sprayed graffiti on its walls, police revealed today.
“A Molotov cocktail was thrown against the wall of the Beit Jamal Monastery near Beit Shemesh,” Israeli police said in an Aug. 21 statement.
The attack took place between the night of Aug. 19 and the morning of Aug. 20. Police said they are investigating “all leads, including nationalist motives.”
The authorities revealed that graffiti in Hebrew was sprayed on the walls reading ‘death to the gentiles’ and ‘revenge.’
The monastery is home to the Sisters of Bethlehem and is located outside the city of Beit Shemesh, about 20 miles west of Jerusalem.
The sisters were not aware of the attack until visitors arrived and noticed the damage a few hours later.
Footage from security cameras shows a fire burning for several minutes before finally dying out.
The main suspects of attacks against Christian sites in Israel in recent years have been Jewish extremist circles.
The ‘price tag policy’ is used by Israeli right-wing extremists and radical settlers, who seek “revenge” against random Palestinians, Christians, and Israeli security forces through property damage, arson and graffiti.
The extremists make the attacks against Israeli security forces in retaliation for government decisions they consider to go against their interests.
According to an article published Aug. 21 by Jewish media “Haaretz,” the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, condemned the incident upon his arrival at the monastery today.
Dov Lipman, a member of the Israeli parliament, a rabbi, and a resident of Beit Shemesh, visited Beit Jamal Monastery to express dismay at the attack and present flowers to the sisters, the Jerusalem Post reported.
“This act runs counter to the Jewish way,” he said. “It is critical that we live in peace and respect with those who hold different beliefs. I hope the police will catch the perpetrators very soon and that justice will be served.”
The same monastery was attacked by Jewish terrorist Jack Teitel in 2007. Teitel set off a bomb which injured a tractor operator who worked for the Sisters of Bethlehem.
According to Haaretz, over 20 Christian and Muslim places of worship in Israel have been attacked since 2010.