Palestine condemns Israel settlers’ attack on Christian clergy in Jerusalem

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs yesterday condemned Israeli settlers’ assaults on clergymen from the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate in the occupied city of Jerusalem, describing it as “incitement to a religious war”.

The ministry said in a statement that it strongly condemned the Israeli settlers’ terrorist assault on a number of clergymen in the occupied city of Jerusalem as they were on their way to pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The ministry affirmed that this sinful attack cannot be isolated from the occupation’s open war against Christian and Islamic holy sites across the occupied Palestinian territories.

The ministry held the Israeli government responsible for the attack, saying it is the result of “official calls for religious war” in Israel, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem “strictly condemns the attack on Very Reverend Father Arbag Sarukhanyan by young Jews in the middle of the night, when Fr. Arbag was heading to the Holy Sepulchre Church.”

Earlier this week three settlers attacked priests who were heading to church for prayers and beat them. Death to Arabs knows no religion. #Palestine pic.twitter.com/Huj0gfphUk

— Mariam Barghouti مريم البرغوثي (@MariamBarghouti) May 20, 2021

Sarukhanian was injured in the attack. He was rushed to hospital and was discharged after receiving the necessary treatment.

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