Historic Catholic Monastery Stella Maris, in Haifa, and other Christian Sites and Figures Attacked in Israel


The historic Catholic monastery, Stella Maris, in Haifa,  was stormed by Israeli settlers. Israeli forced entry into the site have recently increased, leading some to raise concern that the building will soon be seized by Israel.In the last five years, 157 attacks were committed on Christian sanctities, with the past year alone seeing 40 documented attacks against sacred sites, monks and nuns.
The Islamic-Christian Committee in Support of Jerusalem and its Sanctuaries  condemned Israeli extremists'  attacks against the Mar Elias Church and monastery in the city of Haifa as "barbaric".

The committee said in a statement that repeatedly targeting the church to hold prayers inside by claiming there is a tomb belonging to a Jewish figure in its courtyard is a serious violation of holy places belonging to Palestinian Christians.

"The claim that there are graves for Jews in churches is a pretext for seizing and Judaising them, which is an aggression similar to what is being done in Al-Aqsa Mosque," the committee said.

"This new allegation comes in the context of the repeated attacks by Jewish religious groups targeting the Christian presence, desecrating and vandalising Christian holy places, and attacking and spitting on priests and monks in the streets."

Since Israel's new government, the most right-wing in the country's history, came to power in December, attacks against Christians in Jerusalem have become more violent and common.

Wadie Abu Nassar, an adviser to the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land.

He told the Arab48 news website last month that he blames the Israeli government for the increase in attacks on Christian sanctities and symbols:
"There are almost daily attacks that include spitting on monks and nuns, specifically in the Old City of Jerusalem, and these cases have really become concerning, especially since their frequency has recently increased."
Source: Middleeastmonitor

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