The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem warned last month that ‘recent activities undertaken by local individuals who advance damaging ideologies, such as Christian Zionism, mislead the public, sow confusion, and harm the unity of our flock’
Police on Thursday launched an investigation into suspected racist vandalism targeting the Church of the Visitation in Jerusalem and vehicles in its vicinity.
Some of the graffiti on and around the Catholic church in Jerusalem’s Ein Karem reads, “Christians Out,” “Revenge,” and “David King of Israel.”
Last month, church leaders in Jerusalem warned that Christian Zionism has become a “damaging” ideology used by “actors in Israel who seek to push a political agenda.”
The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem – leaders representing Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Armenian and other churches in the city – warned that “recent activities undertaken by local individuals who advance damaging ideologies, such as Christian Zionism, mislead the public, sow confusion, and harm the unity of our flock.”
The statement added that “these undertakings have found favor among certain political actors in Israel and beyond who seek to push a political agenda which may harm the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee pushed back against the statement, saying it is “hard for me to understand why everyone who takes on the moniker ‘Christian’ would not also be a Zionist,” adding, “It’s not a commitment to a particular government or government policy, but to the Biblical revelation as given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Khalil Sayegh, a political analyst and founder of the Washington-based Agora Initiative, which educates about Palestinian life under occupation, told The New Arab that the meeting of Shalyam’s group was concerning because of his lack of engagement with recognized church leaders, despite claiming to represent Israel’s Christian community.
Last year, Sayegh told Haaretz, “While American Christians are arguing over theology,” he said, “Palestinian existence is being erased.”
In July, Huckabee visited the Palestinian village of Taybeh in the West Bank after settlers torched a cemetery outside the fifth-century Green Church. Earlier in July, they set fire to the village’s St. George Church.
During his visit to Taybeh, Huckabee said: “Any desecration to a holy place – it doesn’t matter whether it’s a church, a mosque, or a synagogue… is an act of terror, and a crime. There should be consequences… harsh consequences because it is one of the last bastions of our civilization, the places where we worship.”
Nir Hasson reports from Jerusalem and the environmental desk, Jack Khoury’s coverage focuses primarily on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with a strong emphasis on evolving and breaking news stories, Ben Samuels covers a range of topics including U.S. and Israel/Palestine relations, the Middle East, and antisemitism, with a focus on regional interest and world news, and Etan Nechin is the New York correspondent for Haaretz.
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