Catholic Church demands action on 'price tag' attacks, prepares to campaign
After vandalism of Catholic site in Jerusalem, Church is planning international campaign to put pressure on Israel to stop rising wave of hate crimes.
By JPOST.COM STAFFPrice tag attack on Christian cemetery in Jaffa 370(photo credit: Courtesy Israel Police)
The Roman Catholic Church demanded action against "price tag" attacks on Catholic sites in Israel two weeks ahead of Pope Francis's scheduled visit to the country, according to AFP.Graffiti reading "Death to Arabs and Christians and those who hate Israel" was scrawled on the offices of the Assembly of Bishops at the Notre Dame center, a Vatican-owned complex near Jerusalem's Old City, on Monday, AFP reported."Heads of the Churches in the Holy Land are preparing a series of actions aimed at informing local and international public opinion, and to make the authorities and law officials aware of their responsibilities," AFP quoted the Latin patriarchate as saying.The Notre Dame center attack is just one example of the rising wave of hate crimes against Muslims and Christians in Israel, both within and outside the Green Line.Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch (Likud Beytenu) labeled "price tag" attackers terrorists on Wednesday, calling for the issuing of more restraining orders to prevent "price tag" attacks in addition to administrative detention.Administrative detentions are the controversial arrests of Palestinian terror suspects, who are held without charge or the ability to see the evidence against them.Ben Hartman and Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.
