Pope angry at Israeli settlers  over anti-Christian attacks

RELIGIONS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA) – The Pope is said to be “furious” over the wave of anti-Christian hate crimes carried out by Israeli settlers, the spokesman of the Council of Heads of Catholic Churches in Jerusalem, Wadie Abu Nasser, has said.

Middle East Monitor reported Abu Nasser said that Pope Francis is updated on every incident in occupied Jerusalem and was informed about the viral video showing Israeli settlers spitting on Christian worshippers.

The degrading and offensive practice of spitting on Christians, according to Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, “is an old Jewish tradition.” Israeli settlers have also defended the practice.

Abu Nasser is reported saying in the Haaretz that the incident had reached the highest echelons of the faith.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) in Jerusalem blamed the Israeli government for the “persecution” of Christians.

Israeli settler attacks on Christians have surged in recent months. According to Jewish News, a report by the Religious Freedom Data Centre, which documents anti-Christian attacks, says that 30 assaults have been reported to the hotline between 16 June and mid- August, alone.

With growing numbers of Christian missionaries travelling to Jerusalem, settler attacks are expected to rise.

Israeli leaders do not appear to have a solution to the epidemic rise in anti-Christian attacks, beyond condemnation.

Critics argue that Israel has no answer to the rise in anti-Christian attacks because the country itself is founded on the ideals of racial domination and the goal of preserving the supremacy of Jews over non-Jews.