Jerusalem monastery vandalized in fresh attack

JERUSALEM

The Supreme Council of the Catholic Churches in the Holy Land has accused extremist Jewish settlers of setting fire to a monastery in Jerusalem.

The accusation came shortly after a fire gutted the entrance of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem late Monday.

The monastery of the church is located close to an Israeli settlement in Jerusalem.

"With the grace of God, the local priest succeeded in extinguishing the fire,” the council said in a statement.

Monday’s blaze was the fourth to have targeted the same monastery in a month, according to the council.

“Extremist Jewish settlers are considered possible suspects,” the statement said.

"We, the Catholic Churches, unite with the Orthodox Churches and all other churches in Jerusalem in strongly condemning such acts of sabotage that not only harm the lives of Christians but also harm many of those who still believe in dialogue and mutual respect,” the statement said.

The council went on to call on the Israeli authorities to investigate the arson attacks and bring perpetrators to justice.

"Price tag" vandalism is a strategy used by extremist Jewish settlers to attack Palestinians and their property in retaliation for perceived threats to Israeli settlement expansion.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara.