Activists in the United States of America called on churches to sever their relationship with the Israeli occupation state, following the provocative practices carried out by dozens of settlers, who deliberately “spit” on “Christian pilgrims” carrying the cross in the occupied city of Jerusalem, at a time when it was revealed that Israel had rejected a request he had submitted. Heads of Christian denominations to secure the churches of Jerusalem and Haifa, for fear of settler attacks.
This came after a video that went viral around the world showed settlers spitting on Christians while they were near the Lions' Gate, in the occupied city, where Christians had just emerged carrying a cross from a nearby church.
American activists considered that this video, which shows groups of what they described as “extremist Jews” during their celebration of “Sukkot” and spitting as pilgrims passed by carrying a cross on their shoulders while they were on the Via Dolorosa, “should be enough for the churches in America to sever their relationship with the state.” Racist occupation.”
The “State of Palestine” website, which reported the news, stated that activists pointed out that these racist and extremist actions by settlers in occupied Jerusalem are not the first, pointing out that Christian tourists who visit the city are constantly attacked and prevented from performing their religious rituals, especially In “Christian Holidays”.
They pointed out that cameras documented dozens of extremist attacks by occupation police officers and settlers against Christian citizens and visitors alike.
The extremist Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, demanded that settlers be allowed to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque around the clock, with the possibility of them praying there. He also considered the practices carried out by settlers against Christians, such as spitting and assault, “an ancient Jewish tradition that must continue to be practiced.”
According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, Christian clergy warned against Christian youth being drawn into counter-reactions.
The Commission stated that the heads of the Christian community contacted dozens of ambassadors in the occupying state, requesting their assistance.
Following that communication, these ambassadors contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting clarifications.
For his part, the head of the Palestinian National Council, Rawhi Fattouh, said that the attempt of the extremist Ben Gvir to justify the crime of settlers “spitting” on Christians and churches is “impudent, and indicates the level of hatred and terrorism practiced by the extremist Israeli government.”
He added, in a press statement: “This government embraces hatred towards religions and contempt for other beliefs, and expresses its lack of respect for the international community and the feelings of millions of Christians in the world.”
He stressed that the occupation authorities are racing against time to Judaize Islamic and Christian religious places in Jerusalem, by restricting and attacking worshipers.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the phenomenon of “spitting” on non-Jews, practiced by extremist settlers, especially in the Old City of Jerusalem, and which has become repeated against Christian citizens and tourists.
Fattouh: The occupation authorities are racing against time to Judaize Islamic and Christian religious places in Jerusalem, by restricting and attacking worshipers.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed, in a press statement, that this behavior represents “a reflection of the culture of occupation, hatred, racism, and malice that is spread by senior rabbis and extremist religious schools, whose followers take pride in practicing this behavior.”
She also pointed out that this practice reflects the spread of extremism in Israeli society, especially among extremist settlers, and said: “It is an expression of an attitude that begins with spitting and then turns into beating and killing.” The Foreign Ministry rejected the Israeli side's justifications regarding the inability to hold those who committed this attack accountable, and believes that it is the result of heinous incitement that sums up the denial of the other, the permissibility of his life, and the devaluation of his value.
She stressed that these attacks fall within the framework of the oppression, abuse, harassment, expulsion and Judaization of occupied Jerusalem, its Old City and its Christian and Islamic holy sites, which requires urgent international intervention to force the Israeli government to stop its violations and crimes against Jerusalem, and lift the cover it provides from the hateful extremists.
It is noteworthy that the occupied city of Jerusalem, its residents, and Al-Aqsa Mosque are exposed to daily attacks from extremist settlers. These attacks have escalated with the beginning of the Jewish “Sukkot Festival,” during which settlers carried out major incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, during which they performed “Talmudic rituals,” and also worked to introduce “ Vegetable offerings to the mosque.
The Israeli Minister of Communications inspects a copy of the Torah at the book fair in Riyadh and praises the “prosperous relations” with Saudi Arabia
On Wednesday, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Qarai praised the “prosperous relations” between Tel Aviv and Riyadh during a visit, the second by an Israeli minister to Saudi Arabia in less than a week, amid growing speculation about a possible diplomatic rapprochement.
Qarai heads an official delegation that includes 14 members, including Representative David Petain and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to participate in a meeting of the Universal Postal Union, a specialized agency affiliated with the United Nations that aims to facilitate international cooperation in the postal sector.
“We greatly appreciate the tireless efforts made by the leaders of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and our Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strengthen the prosperous relations between our two countries,” Qarai said during his speech at the postal conference.
Qarai’s visit, and before him Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz, comes amid speculation about the imminence of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which has always insisted that achieving this depends on implementing the two-state solution with the Palestinians and on a just settlement of the refugee issue.
On Wednesday, Qarai, who wore the Jewish religious yarmulke, visited the book fair in Riyadh, where he inspected a leather scroll containing explanations of the Torah in Hebrew.
The scroll, which is 40 meters long and 90 cm wide, dates back to the 16th century AD and the 10th century AH, according to its identification card, and it is owned by the King Fahd National Library.
Qarai said while he was at the exhibition, “On the fifteenth day of this seventh month, (it will be) a 7-day Sukkot Festival for God. The first day will be sanctified. You will not do any work,” and added, “Only on the Sukkot Festival.”
Publicly displaying a scroll of the Torah in Hebrew is unprecedented in Saudi Arabia, according to what employees at the exhibition, which will be held between September 28 and October 7, said.
The Israeli minister attended a religious ceremony for an elderly Jew in Riyadh, as shown in a video clip published by his office on Wednesday.
For months, there has been talk of a possible rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which in 2020 reached the normalization of its relations with the Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco through the mediation of the United States.
“As the Abraham Accords showed, when countries agree on common goals, the results can be tremendously radical,” Qarai said in his speech on Wednesday.
At the end of last month, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman confirmed that his country was “close” to normalizing its relations with Israel, stressing the “importance of the Palestinian issue” for the Kingdom.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, said in his speech before the United Nations General Assembly that his country is on the “threshold” of establishing relations with Saudi Arabia.
American activists have called for churches to sever ties with Israel following attacks by settlers on Christians in Jerusalem, highlighting ongoing tensions and the need for international intervention.
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