The Religious Freedom Data Center (RFDC), a group which monitors anti-Christian hate incidents in Israel, has welcomed intervention from senior Israeli officials as a “major achievement” for its work.
For the last three years the RFDC has produced quarterly reports documenting acts of harassment against Christians.
In its most recent report, which covered the third quarter of this year, there was yet another rise in “incidents” in which “acts of harassment” took place.
The report found that spitting at Christians or at their buildings was by far the most common form of abuse, with an astonishingly large proportion taking place in just one street in Jerusalem’s Old City.
While spitting is the most common form of harassment, vandalism, verbal and physical abuse as well as assault have all been reported.
Christian clergy are typically targets and many have taken to going out in plain clothes in the hopes of avoiding the abuse. The RFDC’s reports indicate that some Jewish families encourage their children to take part in the abuse, while other perpetrators see their actions as religiously justified.
The RFDC’s hotline is used to record incidents, however the group estimates that many more go unrecorded and unpunished.
At the end of October, Israel’s Deputy State Attorney visited the Old City with a delegation of legal officials to meet some of the victims, including the mother of a nine year old boy who was pepper sprayed in the eyes.
A spokesperson for the RFDC, which has noted the shamelessness of the attacks, welcomed the concern shown by Israeli officials.
“Not a single participant remained indifferent to the testimonies they heard. More than once, I could see shame in their eyes. None of this would have happened without good, caring people within the system, first and foremost Ms. Yifat Raveh of the Ministry of Justice, who has been working with determination and dedication to advance solutions,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson indicated that a legislative initiative to ban spitting may be on the way.
