Christians in Jerusalem

Will be patient with them? What's that supposed to mean?

Neither have I. It's really bizarre to keep saying this when it doesn't happen, it's always roundly condemned from all sides.
If a country with no principles is no country, with this unjustifiable behaviour being used as the benchmark, there's going to be a long list of not-countries in the world unless you consider Israel to be unique in some way or for some reason.

I hope so too but it is very very (almost impossible) that they will win. This is not to be argumentative, but you can check yourself how many cases there has been where Palestinians have won any land cases against settlers. As I say, it is futile.

I do think the current government has given carte blanch to extremists. I wonder what the court’s justification was given they proved ownership. Perhaps that the military decided they needed it? Either way it’s appalling but I’m glad they have support from various groups. I hope a shit hot lawyer picks io their case.

Wait. We know that Israel is God's country, both Jews and Christians alike....we christians love the Jews and will be patient with them until as the Bible predicts, they will come to know their Messiah

It is futile trying to win against the settlers as they have the backing of the government. The Palestinians, be they Muslim or Christian don't have the same rights and have limited choices. They can try and fight back and protect their homes and be killed or imprisoned, or leave.

Who are the pro settler posters you refer to? Never seen any. I'm definitely not one.

I've never come across a pro-settler contributor on MN.

I'm glad in the UK and the cases in Israel are being looked at, investigated or charged or attempts to reduce.

Meanwhile, Iran has not stopped its attacks on Christian churches, and the persecution of Christians in Iran continues to be a serious issue:

Mass arrests
In July 2023, Iran experienced another wave of mass arrests of Christians.

Legal restrictions
It is illegal to gather for Christian worship or fellowship in Iran, and believers can be arrested for doing so.

Persecution of converts
Converts to Christianity from Islam face particular persecution, including being denied the right to work.

there are children in the UK applying for asylum here since their Christian parents have 'disappeared ' in Iran. The Red Cross/Crescent are trying to locate them.

I saw this a few weeks ago, it’s appalling and needs more coverage.

I'm glad that steps are being made to stop attacks happening.

In the UK there were attacks on both Jewish and Muslim sites and both condemned and action taken.

That is wrong @silence. It should not happen.

Another article about it . Now obviously our pro settler contributors will question the bias of this source but it is validated.
Palestinian Christians demand settler stolen UNESCO land back (newarab.com)

Israel and their army just stands by and lets this happen. A country with no principles is no country.

"At the end of July, the Kisiya family were evicted from a farm in Al-Makhrour, a valley near Bethlehem, where they had lived since the 1960s. A member of the family, Alice Kisiya, told the Church Times that they had been expelled despite possessing documents from the Civil Administration — the Israeli body governing the occupied West Bank — confirming the Kisiya family’s ownership of the land.

The family was evicted on 31 July, after a stand-off with settlers accompanied by Israeli troops.

Bishop of Gloucester speaks up for Palestinians evicted by Israeli settlers (churchtimes.co.uk)

@Auvergne63 there is quite a bit in the report on steps taken to punish & protect. One awful series of incidents lead to this ' Responding to the seriousness of the attacks, on August 9, Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the monastery and participated
in a meeting with the leaders of the Churches,
including Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa,
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilus III and
Anglican Archbishop Hosam Naoum, and Israel’s
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai. According
to the Superior of the community, following
the intervention of the authorities, the police
guarded the monastery day and night for about
two months. The police intervention, combined
with the erection of a fence around the entrance
to the monastery, discouraged the attacks, and
since September the situation at the monastery
has been calm.'

It is. I'd love to visit Christian sites throughout the middle east but for the main far too dangerous. The history is fascinating. I'm not a Christian though just find the history and stories very interesting.

Why do you say acts go unpunished? The two Jewish extremist men who desecrated the cemetary were arrested and punished. I think that was the incident that was explicitly condemned by Netanyahu & others in the Israeli government. Compare other places where the harrassment and worse is orchestrated by the authorities.

My point exactly. It's bizarre.

The article states:

It says there has been an upsurge in acts of religious hatred, warning that Christians have faced threats and have been forced to conceal their religious identity.

Acts of religious hatred have increased globally since 7 October. This sounds incredibly similar to the situation Jewish people and Muslims around the world have found themselves in since 7 October.

Is there a particular reason Israel is being singled out as the focus of discussion here, compared to say, any one European country, America or Australia?

When discussing the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, focusing that discussion on Israel only is incredibly strange. And quite frankly, bizzare, when there are places in the Middle East when one’s life is at a risk for simply being a Christian:

Pervasive persecution of Christians, sometimes amounting to genocide, is ongoing in parts of the Middle East, and has prompted an exodus in the past two decades, according to a report commissioned by the British foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt.

Yes, that's right, the Rossing report which was also about 2023.

The harassment of Christians in Jerusalem is not new. This article was written in 2023.
ttps://www.timesofisrael.com/as-attacks-on-christians-become-more-frequent-a-crisis-looms-for-israel/#:~:text=The%20involvement%2
Here another one
Jerusalem Christians say attacks on the rise - BBC News
And another
Church leaders plead with Israeli government as anti-Christian incidents increase in Holy Land (religionnews.com)
I find this troubling, don't you, especially the fact that acts of vandalism against consecrated grounds (cemeteries/churches) or harassment go unpunished.

I agree. The persecution of Christians gets remarkably little coverage. Its not just about people but also the loss of cultural sites too. Early christianity is so interesting.

I also do think theres a difference between individuals within a country actively harrassing minorities and state sanctioned harassment. If the country you are in has laws to protect you and also implements those laws thats one thing but when the state turns a blind eye or legislates to persecute you thats different. I consider that to be a measure of the level of intolerance in a country.

Thank you.

That's my point really. You put it so much better. Why shut down the bigger picture to target one people in one area 🤔

It was over 5 years ago when the treatment of Christians in the middle east was described as coming close to genocide.....

"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/02/persecution-driving-christians-out-of-middle-east-report#:~:text=In%20countries%20such%20as%20Iran,extremist%20groups%2C%20are%20implicated.%E2%80%9D