The police have arrested five individuals in response to a video that circulated on social media depicting ultra-Orthodox Jews spitting on Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem’s Old City.
The video, which emerged on Tuesday, captured the moment when ultra-Orthodox Jews, including children, encountered Christian pilgrims who were carrying a large wooden cross in an Old City alleyway. Several of the Jewish individuals spat in the direction of the pilgrims as a sign of disdain.
The video prompted strong criticism from both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s chief rabbis. Prime Minister Netanyahu affirmed Israel’s commitment to protecting the sacred right of worship and pilgrimage to the holy sites of all faiths.
Jerusalem Police Chief Doron Turgeman condemned the act as “ugly” and declared a zero-tolerance policy for hostility directed at Christians, Muslims, or Jews. He also announced the establishment of a special task force to take more substantial actions against such incidents.
Recent times have witnessed an increase in hostility towards Christians, particularly in Jerusalem. At the start of the year, a Protestant cemetery was vandalized by two Jewish teenagers.
Christians constitute a minority in Israel, accounting for less than two percent of the country’s population of 10 million citizens.