Man Harasses Armenian Monastery in Jerusalem Amid Ongoing Anti-Christian Incidents
A Jewish man was recorded urinating on the Saint James Monastery wall in Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter, highlighting ongoing anti-Christian harassment and vandalism in the Old City.
A Jewish man urinated on the exterior wall of the Saint James Monastery in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem, according to a report published on Monday by the Russian website Incidentia.ru. Footage shared from the incident shows a monastery guard rushing toward the man and driving him away from the site. The report indicated that the offense against the monastery was motivated by religious bias.
According to the Russian outlet, the monastery is a frequent target for harassment by Jewish extremists, including incidents of spitting at the building while passing by. Last month, police arrested six religious Jews, five of whom were minors, on suspicion of spitting at the entrance, striking the gate, and throwing stones at the compound. Police subsequently deployed officers near the monastery to prevent further incidents, though shortly afterward a 9-year-old Armenian child was pepper-sprayed nearby.
The Russian website reported that another anti-Christian incident occurred as an Orthodox Jewish man spat on the ground while passing Christian pilgrims near the nearby Armenian-Catholic Church of Our Lady of Sorrows. The report noted that police are working to prevent the harassment of Christian clergy and church property in the Old City, though incidents of spitting at priests remain frequent in the area.
