Three Palestinians have been arrested for allegedly setting fire to a Christmas tree and damaging a Nativity scene at a Catholic church in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Three Palestinians were arrested following accusations of setting fire to a Christmas tree and damaging part of a Nativity scene at the Holy Redeemer Church in Jenin, located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Authority Police announced the arrests, which occurred after a review of surveillance footage from the church.
The incident took place around 3 a.m. on Monday, according to church officials. The police reported that tools believed to have been used in the attack were seized from the suspects. Authorities condemned the act, viewing it as an attempt to incite sectarian and religious tensions in the region.
In response to the vandalism, the church shared images on social media depicting the remains of the synthetic Christmas tree, stripped of its green plastic branches, with red and gold ornaments scattered across the courtyard. Despite the damage, the church quickly organized a cleanup and erected a new Christmas tree just a day after the incident, in time for the upcoming Christmas Mass.
A special ceremony was held at the church, attended by local Muslim and Christian leaders, as well as politicians, to reaffirm community solidarity. Rev. Amer Jubran, the local priest, described the arson as an isolated incident and highlighted the unity of the city’s residents. “This occasion reaffirmed that attempts to harm religious symbols will never diminish the spirit of the city nor the faith of its people,” the Holy Redeemer Church stated.
The small Christian community in the West Bank faces increasing threats from various extremist factions, including both Israeli settlers and Palestinian extremists, prompting many to consider leaving the region. Christians constitute only about 1-2% of the West Bank’s approximately 3 million residents, with the majority being Muslim. The decline of the Christian population is a broader trend observed across the Middle East, where many have fled due to ongoing conflicts.
In Israel, church authorities and monitoring groups have reported a recent rise in anti-Christian sentiment and harassment, particularly in Jerusalem’s Old City. Reports indicate that extremist Israeli settlers have vandalized and torched areas around churches and Christian villages, further exacerbating tensions.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has intensified violence in the West Bank, with Israeli military operations targeting terrorists resulting in hundreds of Palestinian casualties and the displacement of tens of thousands. This conflict has also seen a rise in violence from both Israeli settlers and Palestinian militants.
According to The Associated Press, the situation remains precarious as the community grapples with the implications of these violent acts and the broader conflict in the region.