A suspected arson attack on a church on the shores of the Sea of Galilee has left two people injured and caused serious damage.
An elderly monk and a German volunteer needed hospital treatment for smoke inhalation after the attack on the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes in Tabgha village. There was minor damage to the main worship hall but other areas were badly affected.
No one has been arrested in connection with the blaze but 16 Jewish ‘youths’ were taken in for questioning before being released. In April last year, young Jewish extremists desecrated crosses and an altar at the same church. Graffiti painted inside the church during the attack earlier this month read: ‘The false gods will be eliminated.’
The Galilee church was built in the 1980s on the site of ancient places of worship that commemorated the spot where Jesus fed 5,000 people with the loaves and fish.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the fire as ‘an attack on all of us’, promising to bring the culprits to justice. Local bishops have called on Jews, Christians and Muslims to stand in solidarity against ‘violence and extremism’. Morning Star News says that attacks by Jewish extremists on churches and Christian-owned property are now ‘common throughout Israel and the Palestinian Territories’.
Please pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land. Pray that people of all faiths in this troubled region will stand together against extremism and violence and promote religious tolerance. Morning Star News
