Attack on monastery after settlers evicted

Published on 05/09/2012 00:00

Vandals have set fire to the doors of a Christian monastery in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and daubed pro-settler graffiti on its walls in a possible retaliation for the eviction of Jewish families from an unauthorised outpost.

The name of the unauthorised Migron outpost, cleared of Israeli settlers following a court order on Sunday, was scrawled yesterday on the 19th century Latrun Monastery, alongside the words “Jesus is a monkey” in ­Hebrew, police said.

Israeli security officials had said they were worried Sunday’s eviction of 50 families from Migron, near Ramallah, might provoke more attacks by a vigilante settler group known as “Price Tag”, a reference to the retribution to be paid for any bid to curb settlement in the West Bank.

The group has targeted mosques and, less commonly, Christian churches, regarding any non-Jewish religious sites as an intrusion.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack. “This is a heinous act and those responsible for it must be punished severely. Freedom of religion and worship are basic fundamentals in Israel,” he said.