JERUSALEM
\nA Jerusalem bishop said Wednesday he was \u201cdismayed\u201d by the desecration of dozens of Christian graves on the edge of the Old City, as police probed the vandalism.
\nStone graves lay in pieces with crosses toppled at the Protestant cemetery on Mount Zion, where Christians believe Jesus\u2019s Last Supper took place.
\n\u201cWe discovered that more than 30 tombstones and crosses were smashed to pieces,\u201d Hosam Naoum, an Anglican bishop, told journalists at the cemetery.
\nChurch authorities said the damage was discovered on Tuesday, while security camera footage from January 1 showed two men or boys vandalising the site while wearing Jewish attire. \u201cThese criminal acts were motivated by religious bigotry and hatred against Christians,\u201d the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem said in a statement.
\nIsraeli police said they had launched an investigation into \u201cthe defacement of a large number of tombstones in the Protestant cemetery\u201d.
\nStanding before one of the damaged graves, Naoum said: \u201cWe are not only dismayed but we are very much saddened.\u201d
\nThe bishop said the cemetery was established in the mid-19th century and is the final resting place of figures including clergy, scientists and politicians.
\nAmong them were \u201cpeople of great importance that have contributed to the history of Jerusalem and to the life of the people here,\u201d he said.
\nIsrael\u2019s foreign ministry called for the perpetrators to be prosecuted, writing on Twitter that \u201cthis immoral act is an affront to religion.\u201d
\nMount Zion lies outside the Old City walls and has drawn pilgrims for centuries. It is also revered by Jews, as the burial place of biblical King David.
\nIn December 2021, church leaders warned that \u201cChristians have become the target of frequent and sustained attacks by fringe radical groups\u201d in Jerusalem and the wider Holy Land.
\nThe statement criticised inaction by law enforcement and local officials, accusations deemed \u201cbaseless\u201d by the Israeli foreign ministry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
JERUSALEM A Jerusalem bishop said Wednesday he was \u201cdismayed\u201d by the desecration of dozens of Christian graves on the edge of the Old City, as police probed the vandalism. Stone graves lay in pieces with crosses toppled at the Protestant cemetery on Mount Zion, where Christians believe Jesus\u2019s Last Supper took place. \u201cWe discovered that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":305555,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-305543","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n