Netanyahu, IDF condemn Israeli soldier’s bludgeoning of Jesus statue in Lebanon

JTA – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is denouncing an incident in which a soldier bludgeoned a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon, igniting criticism at a time when some Christians believe Israel discriminates against them. 

A photograph of the incident spread widely on Sunday after a prominent Palestinian journalist, Younis Tirawi, shared it. The photograph shows a soldier in an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) uniform smashing a statue of Jesus, which has fallen from its cross and is lying partially on the ground. 

The IDF said it had examined the photograph and determined that it was real. “The IDF views the incident with great severity and emphasises that the soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops,” it said in a statement. 

Netanyahu said the photograph had shocked him. 

“Yesterday, like the overwhelming majority of Israelis, I was stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon. I condemn the act in the strongest terms,” he said in a statement on Monday. “Military authorities are conducting a criminal probe of the matter and will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender.” 

The incident took place in Debel, a Christian village in the region of Bint Jbeil, where Israel said it killed 150 Hezbollah operatives, including a commander, on the day before a ceasefire was imposed last week. A church in Debel posted a picture of the statue when it was intact, along with the line, spoken by Jesus in the New Testament during his crucifixion, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” 

The incident comes as Israel fends off criticism from even its allies that it is discriminating against Christians. Tensions flared last month when the Israel Police, citing wartime safety regulations, blocked top Catholic clergy from holding a Palm Sunday service in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem, eliciting oblique criticism from the pope. Netanyahu said in response that he had ordered that the clergy be given full access to the church. 

In his statement about the statue incident, Netanyahu emphasised that Christians in the Middle East face danger from Islamic fundamentalists, including in Lebanon. 

“Israel is the only country in the region that the Christian population and standard of living is growing. Israel is the only place in the Middle East that adheres to freedom of worship for all,” he said. “We express regret for the incident and for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and around the world.” 

The Lebanon incident adds to a number of incidents in which Israeli soldiers have been photographed or filmed desecrating religious objects or sites in areas where they have been fighting, including in Gaza. The IDF has urged soldiers not to take or share photographs of their activities. The Israeli army has denounced the incidents, but even those who have resisted the most strident criticisms of Israel say a pattern is becoming clear. 

“The lack of discipline, unprofessional conduct, and antagonising of Christians in Lebanon and elsewhere is an entirely unnecessary and deeply harmful behaviour that will further erode support for Israel and fuel those who believe this is a religious war of conquest,” tweeted Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Palestinian writer and advocate in the United States who has criticised both Hamas and Israel. 

The smashing of the statue also comes amid a number of incidents suggesting growing influence by religious Jewish leadership in the IDF. In recent days, soldiers were jailed for barbecuing on their base on Shabbat, when traditional Jewish law prohibits cooking; women soldiers were penalised for wearing immodest clothing to their discharge ceremonies; and the army was accused of barring women from wearing shorts while running in a race associated with the Jerusalem Marathon.