ICC Note: Christian’s living in a village outside of Bethlehem were attacked last week while attempting to enter the Saint George’s Monastery. While the initial cause of the violence is unclear, at least 7 people were injured and windows were broken during the incident. This is only the latest attack on Christians in an area known for tensions on religious lines. It also comes as fears are heightened in preparation of a visit by Pope Francis later this month.

By Moshe Cohen

05/15/2014 Israel (Arutz Sheva) – Christian Arab residents of the village of El-Khader in the Bethlehem area were savagely attacked by local Muslims as they celebrated a Christian holiday last week. A report by CAMERA, an organization which monitors anti-Israel bias in the media, reported that Christians attempting to enter Saint George’s Monastery in the village were intimidated and attacked with rocks and stones.

Author Lela Gilbert, author of Saturday People, Sunday People: Israel through the Eyes of a Christian Sojourner, filed a report with CAMERA over the incident.

“Some local Muslims either tried to park a car too close the church and/or tried to enter the church during a service honoring St. George – the initial instigation isn’t clear,” she wrote. “But when the intruders were asked to leave, one of them stabbed a Christian man who was outside the church serving as a guard. He was hospitalized. Several then started throwing stones at the church. 7 or 8 Christians were injured and some physical damage was done – broken windows etc. The police didn’t show up for an hour.”

Police did not comment, but according to Dexter Van Zile, CAMERA’s Christian Media Analyst, “it seems pretty obvious that whatever police presence there was… it was insufficient to prevent an outbreak of violence, which resulted in several injuries including one broken nose. No matter how you look at it, the episode represents a failure on the part of the Palestinian Authority, one that local journalists and Christian leaders are – for understandable reasons – reluctant to highlight,” Van Zile added.

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