The Armenian Dat Committee of Jerusalem strongly condemns the latest attack in the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem, during which six religious Israeli Jews spat on the Holy Entrance of the Mother Church from Srobots Hakobyan and threw stones at the houses of Armenian residents.

This serious incident joins the ongoing series of harassment, intimidation and violence against the Armenian community in Jerusalem. Repeated attacks like this deepen the concern that their authors operate in an atmosphere of impunity. While these acts do not represent Israeli society as a whole, the lack of consistent law enforcement and prosecution of those responsible contributes to the continuation of such attacks.

We call on the President of Israel, Mr. Yitzhak Herzog, to publicly condemn this attack and reaffirm the commitment of the State of Israel to protect the security, dignity and fundamental rights of Jerusalem and all religious and national communities in Israel.

At the same time, we also call on the Israeli government and law enforcement agencies to take immediate and decisive action, to conduct a comprehensive and impartial investigation, ensuring equal enforcement of the law, and to bring those responsible to justice so that they bear full responsibility for their actions.

We also appeal to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, “Betzelem”, the Israeli Civil Rights Union, foreign diplomatic missions and the international community to keep these developments in the spotlight, to publicly express their concern and take active steps in defense of the rights, security and historical presence of the Armenian community in Jerusalem.

Protecting the security, dignity and historical presence of the Armenian community in Jerusalem is not only a moral and legal obligation, but also a necessary condition to maintain the unique multi-religious, multicultural and historical face of Jerusalem as a holy city for three monotheistic religions.

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