Israeli settler attacks on church sanctities in Palestine continue amid lax international response
The Israeli settlers continue their attacks against Palestinian Muslim and Christian places of worship, the latest of which has been the attempt to set on fire the Church of All Nations in Jerusalem.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Church of All Nations built on the land of Gethsemane in East Jerusalem survived Dec. 4 an attempted arson attack. An Israeli settler had lit a fire inside the church before it was quickly extinguished, causing only minor damages.
With the help of young Jerusalemites, the church guard managed to catch the settler before he escaped and turned him over to the Israeli police.
Hamza Ajaj, a 30-year-old Jerusalemite who lives next to the church, was an eyewitness to the attempted arson attack. Ajaj told Al-Monitor, “I was sitting in front of my house at around 2 p.m. when I saw the church guard, who is also a friend of mine, running outside the church. So I ran after him to check what was going on. He told me that a settler set fire to the church and ran away.”
Ajaj added, “The settler took advantage of the fact that there were no worshippers and tourists in the church — which is closed as part of the coronavirus-related measures — to break into the place and pour a flammable substance on the church’s wooden benches and set it alight before fleeing. We were able to catch him and hand him over to the Israeli police.”
