• More than 30 graves at Mount Zion’s Protestant Cemetery were vandalized.
• Headstones were knocked over and damaged, and crosses were broken.
• The vandalism has been attributed to radical Jewish individuals.

An attack on a historic cemetery close to Jerusalem‘s walled Old City has prompted “dismay” from the Anglican Church and the United Kingdom.

On Sunday, more than 30 graves at Mount Zion’s Protestant Cemetery were vandalized. Headstones were knocked over and damaged, and crosses were broken.

The vandalism has been attributed to radical Jewish individuals.

“We have noticed that hatred speech and hatred crimes are on the rise,” Anglican Archbishop Hosam Naoum said.

Standing next to the vandalized grave of the second Anglican bishop of Jerusalem, Samuel Gobat, he said there had been a recent increase in spitting at Christians and attacks on their holy sites.

“This is only an indication that we are not in a place where people can tolerate each other or accept each other,” Archbishop Naoum added.

“We see more exclusion, more segregation and that is what really grieves us in this city of Jerusalem.”

In a tweet, the British consulate in Jerusalem said: “This is the latest in a string of attacks against Christians and their property in and around the Old City. The perpetrators of religiously motivated attacks should be held accountable.”

The Israeli ministry of foreign affairs also condemned the vandalism at the cemetery. “This immoral act is an affront to religion and the perpetrators should be prosecuted,” it tweeted.

The incident was carried out by two young males, according to security camera evidence. They are clearly pious Jews since they are donning kippahs, or skullcaps, and tzitzit, or knotted fringes, on their clothing.

Israeli police claimed they were looking into what happened after visiting the cemetery to assess the damage.

The cemetery was established in 1848 on land Bishop Gobat purchased and is maintained by the Lutheran and Anglican faiths.

Numerous significant personalities in the holy city, including scientists, politicians, military personnel, and members of the church, are interred there.

In addition to being attacked, three Commonwealth war graves of Palestinian police personnel were also ripped up and lay on the ground.

According to the Anglican Church, it is obvious that “these criminal crimes were motivated by religious intolerance and hatred against Christians” because crosses were targeted.

The vandalism left the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) “appalled,” it told the Media.

“A very small number of CWGC headstones were damaged – we are co-operating closely with the authorities on the matter and our in-country staff are already working to carry out full repairs and return the graves to their normal condition,” a spokesperson said.

Nine years ago, a similar act of vandalism took place at the same cemetery.

According to the Anglican Church, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Commonwealth’s chief rabbi, the president of Israel, and other political and religious figures have expressed their support for the church.

It demanded coordinated efforts to stop “violent acts of pollution against sacred sites” as well as to make Jerusalem, which is treasured by Christians, Jews, and Muslims, a safer, more respectful, and tolerant place.

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