Incidents of anti-Christian hostility have seen a notable rise in Israel, with a significant concentration in Jerusalem’s Armenian Patriarchate Street, as reported by a research organization.
The Religious Freedom Data Center (RFDC) has highlighted in its latest findings that 106 “acts of harassment” were recorded in the third quarter across 96 different “incidents.” This marks an increase from the second quarter’s 83 acts over 76 incidents, and the first quarter’s 44 acts across 31 incidents.
The earlier increase in Q2 was linked to the occurrence of Israeli holidays like Jerusalem Day and Shavuot, which heightened the number of incidents.
RFDC’s recent analysis attributes the increase during holiday periods to an influx of Jewish visitors, which correlates with more harassment incidents against Christians. The group credits its Hotline for Christians facing harassment, staffed by volunteers, for the ability to document numerous cases, though many likely remain unreported.
Spitting remains the predominant form of harassment, directed at Christians or their places of worship, constituting 73 percent of the harassment acts in Q3.
“In informal conversations with clergy, we repeatedly hear the statement: ‘Not a week goes by without someone spitting at me.’ We therefore estimate that dozens of additional spitting incidents occur each month; without reporting, documentation, or action to counter them, such acts become established as a norm among perpetrators,” the report says.
Other forms of hostility, although less common, include verbal abuse (eight percent), object throwing (four percent), vandalism (six percent), threats (one percent), and physical assaults (five percent).
The majority of these incidents, 92 percent, took place in Jerusalem, with the Old City accounting for 77 percent and Armenian Patriarchate Street seeing 45 percent of the harassment.
Consistent findings reveal that Christian clergy and monastics face frequent targeting, with actions often carried out openly. Some instances involve parents encouraging their children to engage in the harassment.
The report states, “In some cases, perpetrators justified their actions to RFDC volunteers – and on camera – as being consistent with religious injunctions.”
The documented atmosphere suggests a worsening situation, prompting many clergy to dress in plain clothes to avoid attention, which diminishes the visibility of Christians in Israel’s public sphere.
“In the absence of visible representation of the Christian presence, we repeatedly encounter cases in which Jews, surprised to discover Christians in the city, react inappropriately,” the report reads.
“The exclusion of the Christian presence from Jerusalem’s public representation is a matter of concern, and responsibility for addressing it rests with the Jerusalem Municipality.”
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
