The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem denounced the violent assaults by extremist Israelis against Christian properties in the New Gate area of the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday night, and pledged to hinder any processions organized by radical Israeli factions in the Old City.
“We will work to prevent the marches of Israeli radical groups,” said the Patriarchate in a statement, condemning “the violent attack carried out by members of Israeli radical groups targeting Christians in the New Gate area of the Old City of Jerusalem.”
The Patriarchate asserted that permitting members of extremist groups to march and travel around Jerusalem armed and having declared criminal objectives would be seen as an abetment of the attack and a leniency that is not tolerated towards the perpetrators, in reference to the Israeli police permitting the marches despite their declared intention to hurt Palestinians in the vicinity.
A throng of Israeli settlers, brandishing flags, shouting and yelling, entered the New Gate in the Old City, mainly populated by Christians with businesses, and began to intimidate tourists in an Armenian–owned eatery, destroying chairs and tables, and attacking different stores and residents in the area. Sources say Israeli occupation forces were summoned to the location an hour later, but no one was taken into custody.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has demanded the safeguarding of those not armed in the Old City from militant aggressors who strive to alter the multifarious identity of Jerusalem and its cultural and religious composition, desiring to restrict it to one identity that is their radical understanding and representation of what a Jewish character should be.
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the other churches of the city declared that they would oppose with all their might, relying on the Lord‘s grace, the objectives of these extremists. Furthermore, they asked the Israeli authorities to prevent similar marches that had led to assaults against Christians in Jerusalem, and asserted their right to take legal action to stop such violent activities from happening again.
