Two Israeli teens aged 14 and 18 were arrested by the Israeli police on Friday in connection with vandalizing a Christian cemetery on Mount Zion, Jerusalem. Police described the suspects as residents of central Israel. Police did not identify the suspects or detail their alleged motivation.
Jerusalem District Police Commander Doron Turgeman met Thursday with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and emphasized the importance of bringing the perpetrators to justice.
“Every attack on religious sites or institutions is serious and harms the unique and fragile fabric of life that exists in the city for members of all faiths and sects,” Turgeman was quoted as telling the Patriarch.
About 30 gravesites were damaged in the act of vandalism that took place two weeks ago. The crime was caught on video and caused an estimated $100,000 in damage. The acts of vandalism include breaking crosses, pushing over headstones, smashing iconography, and throwing debris over the edge of the cemetery wall. Among the desecrated graves were three commonwealth graves of Palestinian police officers and members of various Protestant communities, including Bishop Samuel Gobat, the second Protestant Bishop of Jerusalem, and the purchaser of the property on which the graveyard stands.
Mount Zion is revered by Jews as the burial site of King David. Christians believe it was the site of the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples.The cemetery is owned by the Anglican Church Missionary Trust Association Ltd., London, represented by the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and The Middle East. Opened in 1848, the cemetery. The cemetery hosts commonwealth war graves including many non-Jews who supported Israel. Most notably,Oskar Schindler, who saved 1200 Jews during the holocaust who was designated as Righteous Among the Gentiles by Yad Vashem, is buried there.