Unknown vandals sprayed graffiti defamatory to Jesus on the walls of a Franciscan Dormition monastery on Mount Zion in Jerusalem on Tuesday.The Jerusalem Police have launched an investigation.
The inscriptions, reading "Jesus, son of a…" and "price tag," were tagged with blue paint on the church's gate.
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Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld confirmed the details: "A church on Mount Zion was targeted with graffiti indicating a price tag act," he said.
"The graffiti was discovered in the early hours of the morning. An investigation has been launched," he added.
President Shimon Peres condemned the vandalism, saying that "We must not harm other religions' sanctuaries. We cannot accept this phenomenon in our midst, it goes against Judaism and damages Israel."
In September, vandals set fire to the entrance door of the Latrun Monastery and spray-painted slogans against the Christian religion on its walls, including names of West Bank outposts and "Jesus is a monkey."
The incident, which is still under investigation, was widely condemned by top officials across the political spectrum.
Dozens of prominent rabbis from Israel and Europe, including former and present chief rabbis, also decried the incident, sending a letter of condemnation and sympathy to leaders of the Latrun Monastery.
"We would like to express our shock in light of the acts of vandalism directed at your monastery, the kind of which have been directed in recent months against other churches and mosques across the country," they wrote.
"We deeply regret the disrespect you were shown by members of our religion and people."
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