Liberman condemns vandalism of Jerusalem church

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman condemned the vandalism of the St. George Romanian Orthodox Church on Monday in Jerusalem, during a meeting with his Romanian counterpart Tuesday.

Liberman, who expressed the Israeli government’s “sorrow” over the attack, told Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean that extremist elements responsible for these types of attacks have also vandalized sites sensitive to Jews. He was referring to the June attack on Yad Vashem when the walls of the Holocaust memorial’s plaza were defaced with anti-Zionist graffiti.

The police and other law enforcement officials are doing their best to catch the criminals, he said.

Vandals damaged the door of the church located near Jerusalem’s haredi Mea She’arim neighborhood on Monday, throwing stones, trash and bottles at the door.

A Jerusalem police spokeswoman said the police did not believe this attack was linked to the vandalism last week at the Franciscan convent, adjacent to the Dormition Abbey cathedral on Mount Zion. In that attack the words “price tag” were spray painted along with the words “Jesus is a bastard.”

There was no spray-painted graffiti on the door of the Romanian Orthodox Church or any other indication this was a “price-tag” attack.

Price-tag attacks refer to revenge and vigilante attacks allegedly carried out by extremist Jews against Arab or Christian targets.

This was the third act of vandalism against a Christian site in the last five weeks. In September, vandals burned the door of the Trappist monastery in Latrun and spray painted anti-Christian graffiti.

A statement issued by Liberman’s office said the two foreign ministers also discussed Israeli-Romanian bilateral ties as well as EU-related issues, during their meeting.

Romania is considered one of Israel’s closer friends inside the EU. The 27-member body is expected to discuss stepping up sanctions on Iran at a meeting of its foreign ministers on Monday, and is also expected to discuss in the near future its position on the expected Palestinian effort in November to gain non-member state observer status in the UN General Assembly.