111 attacks against Christians in the Holy Land: a report reveals an alarming escalation of violence

The annual report of Rossing CenterOrganization dedicated to interreligious coexistence based in Jerusalem, documented 111 cases of harassment and violence against the Christian community in Israel and Jerusalem east during the year 2024.

A climate of hostility that, according to one of the authors of the study, Federica Sasso, only represents “the tip of the iceberg of a much greater phenomenon.” “Many more attacks occur, but they are very difficult to monitor,” says ACI Press.

It also details that at the moment Earth Holy “has emptied of Christian pilgrims” by the war unleashed after Hamas’s attacks on October 7, 2023, which cushions the situation a bit.

“If we were in a normal period of pilgrim flow, the number of attacks would probably be much greater,” he says.

The expert who partially attributes this situation to the “growing polarization and radicalization within Israeli society” emphasizes that, although there is a certain generalized skepticism regarding the effectiveness of complaints, they are observing a positive trend, since the consecrated “are increasingly willing to denounce the incidents.”

Partly due to a “demonstrated history of dismissing or released them suspects without the appropriate consequences” they preferred not to make it public, he explains.

In 2023, they registered 90 attacks against Christians, 21 less

This is the second year in which this important document has been published. In 2023 they registered 90 violent acts committed against Christians in this territory. Before this report there was no common counting methodology. So it was difficult to make a scientific comparison. To make the report, according to Sasso, the collaboration “of both the leaders of the churches and of the communities, which are those who ultimately live these specific experiences daily” is necessary.

They have also consulted the Intercultural Center of Jerusalem and the Center for Religious Freedom Data, which was founded in 2023 as a platform through which victims can communicate when they have suffered an attack.

The identified attacks include episodes of physical aggression, such as spits, direct aggressions and vandalism against churches and monasteries, as well as cases of verbal harassment, which has left the Christian community feeling “increasingly threatened in its own home,” says Sasso.

47 physical aggressions, above all, spit

Of the 111 cases of aggressions reported, 47 have been physical aggressions that manifest mostly with “spit”, a behavior that has evolved from subtle acts to openly aggressive manifestations. In several areas, especially in the old city of Jerusalem, priests, nuns, friars and monks “being easily identified are daily exposed to these attacks,” explains Sasso. According to the report, Christians have reported a “new increase in the frequency and aggressive Certain areas of Jerusalem … now face an almost certain risk of suffering this type of harassment every time they go out. ”

In addition to harassment and spit, Rossing Center He has certified other violations against the right to religious freedom. For example, Christian religious has been increasing to remove the crosses from public spaces.

During the past year, 35 cases of vandalism and desecration were documented in churches and monasteries, which included painted on the walls of the temples, launching stones, causes caused and acts of disfigurement in the Christian imagery. In an especially serious case, the search of a Catholic retirement house in northern Israel was reported, in which sacred objects were damaged and replaced by Jewish religious objects, “according to the report.

The report indicates that the responsibility of these acts falls exclusively on individuals identified as Jews, “mainly young men of ultra-orthodox and national-religious circles.”

According to the investigation, the radicalization climate is motivated by “a mixture of nationalist fervor and religious extremism” that drives these groups, especially within the Hardal current, the ultra -orthodox sector of nationalist tendency.

The report also adduces the ignorance of Christianity or prejudices as a reason. In this regard, Sasso points out that this is one of the background problems in the historical background of Judeo-Christian relations forged during millennia.

“Israel is the only place in the world where Judeo-Christian relations are completely different from those we have in the West; that is, it is the only place where the Jewish population is a majority and Christians are a minority, so it is a completely inverted minority relationship compared to the West,” he explains.

This context favors that in the perception that Israeli Jews continue to have Christianity, “certain stereotypes that have been perpetuated even in school study programs.”

That is why in the recommendations of the report they make it clear that the educational part is really fundamental. “It is necessary to explain that Christianity is, above all, a religious identity, that it must be separated from the historical memory of the Shoah,” explains the researcher.

48 % of young Christians under 30 wants to emigrate

Beyond the episodes of physical violence, daily harassment of the Christian community has had a devastating effect generating a sense of insecurity and abandonment.

The report emphasizes that “the pressure” becomes increasingly evident and has caused that almost 48 % of young Christians under 30 years consider to emigrate. Of these, 77 % attribute their decision to the “growing discrimination and violence” aggravated by socio -political instability.

In an environment in which Christians, who represent only 1.8 % of the Israeli population and a modest 4 % in Jerusalem, feel more and more marginalized, the study alerts on the possible definitive erosion of their religious rights and freedoms.

In fact, the Rossing Center report warns of its progressive “Judaization” through new settlement policies such as “the construction plan of 11,500 homes in East Jerusalem”, which is considered internationally as the capital of Palestine.

According to this document, minority religious confessions also suffer “fiscal restrictions” because, although their places of worship can benefit from them, their schools or youth centers or pilgrim shelters do not do it. Those who are Jews yes. This has generated multiple litigation among Christian communities – especially the custody of the Holy Land – and the municipal authorities.

In addition to other factors, the report of the Rossing Center He warns of another added problem in northern Israel. There the organized crime produced 230 murders in the last year that especially affected the Christians of Galilee, known for being especially respectful of the law, but those who lack state protection against crime.

The analysis concludes that, without forceful measures to promote inclusion and respect, the historical Christian presence in the Holy Land could suffer a “significant” decrease in its presence in the coming years, affecting not only the local community but also the interreligious dynamics of the region, with repercussions worldwide.