8 arrested for spitting at churches in Jerusalem's Old City

Israel Police reported that eight people were arrested on Thursday for spitting on a church in the Old City of Jerusalem. According to The Times of Israel, the group included adults and minors, with two individuals linked to "a similar incident that occurred two months earlier."

This act of disrespect is not new and has been ongoing for years. However, the police force in Jerusalem is now taking stronger measures to address it. Commander Dvir Tamim, head of the David area of the Jerusalem District Police, stated, “We will not tolerate expressions of hatred toward anyone, Christians, Jews, or Muslims. In the Old City or anywhere else in Jerusalem.”

Tamim condemned “this ugly phenomenon,” which he said threatens the delicate coexistence that has been in place for many years in Israel – a coexistence valued by the many visitors and Christian pilgrims who have been regularly traveling to the Holy Land until the start of the Gaza War.

The holy Muslim holiday of Ramadan typically leads to increased tensions, particularly in the Old City, where Tamim has called for “calm in the area.” In response to the ongoing issues, police will increase their presence and rely more heavily on technological tools, such as high-tech cameras to capture violations, many of which previously went unreported.

In October 2023, a group of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and children were filmed “spitting on the ground” and onto a church as a group of Asian Christian pilgrims exited the building. The pilgrims, carrying a large wooden cross, were about to leave a church complex near the Lion’s Gate to begin their walk along the Via Dolorosa – a path many Christians follow to honor Jesus.

In February 2024, the Israeli police arrested two suspects in the Old City for spitting on Christian clergyman Nikodemus Schnabel and cursing at him. One suspect was identified via surveillance footage and arrested, while the second was later apprehended at his home.

Both Israeli President Isaac Herzog and then-Foreign Minister Israel Katz strongly condemned the violence against the priest and other non-Jewish worshippers in years past.

Herzog declared, “I am sure that the law enforcement system will act resolutely toward this goal. Religion and faith – which can and should be a basis for partnership and deep connections – mustn’t become a justification for hating and attacking others.”

Katz added on 𝕏, “Under the rule of the State of Israel, all members of religions will enjoy complete freedom of worship, as never before. As the prophet said: Because my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,” referencing Isaiah 56:7.