Latin Patriarch Says Israel Hate Crimes 'Poison Atmosphere' for Pope Visit
The head of the Roman Catholic church in the Holy Land said Sunday that Israeli hate crimes against local Muslims and Christians are souring relations ahead of a papal visit.
"The unrestrained acts of vandalism poison the atmosphere -- the atmosphere of co-existence and the atmosphere of collaboration, especially in these two weeks prior to the visit of Pope Francis," Latin Patriarch Fuad Twal said.
"It is also a blight on the democracy that Israel ascribes to itself," he told a news conference in the northern port city of Haifa.
The pope's visit is scheduled to begin in Jordan on May 24 and he is due to spend two days in the Holy Land from May 25.
On Friday, vandals spray-painted anti-Christian graffiti on a Jerusalem church, just days after the Roman Catholic church demanded Israel act following the discovery of racist slogans daubed on a Vatican-owned property elsewhere in the city.
"The bishops are very concerned about the lack of security and lack of responsiveness from the political sector, and fear an escalation of violence," the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement on Wednesday.
In the wake of last week's attack, Israeli police moved to boost security around holy sites.
Israel has been struggling to contain the spiraling number of so-called "price tag" hate crimes by Jewish extremists that target Palestinian and Arab property, including mosques and churches.
Although police have made scores of arrests, there have been no successful prosecutions for price tag attacks and the government has come under mounting pressure to authorize the Shin Bet internal security agency to intervene.
Twal took the Israeli authorities to task for what he saw as laxity in pursuing the perpetrators.
"How can it be that they don't catch the perpetrators?" he asked, saying the attacks were "only drawing condemnation" from Israel's leaders but resulted in few arrests.
"Given that the vandals are largely unprosecuted, one must question the priority of the government to get to the bottom of the problem," he retorted.
Israeli ministers held an emergency meeting on Wednesday, pledging to enforce harsh measures against perpetrators.
"We are encouraged by the fact that Justice Minister Tzipi Livni held an emergency meeting to combat this senseless vandalism," Twal said.
"Hopefully, the issue does not remain solely a matter of sound bites and round table discussion. Until these words become acts, we remain skeptical."
Police and the Shin Bet are reportedly concerned Jewish extremists could increase attacks on Christian sites ahead of the pope's arrival in a bid to draw media attention.
Source: Agence France Presse
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