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Three Palestinians have been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a Christmas tree and damaging part of a Nativity scene Catholic Church under Israeli occupation west coast City of jenine, Palestinian Authority Police said.
Police said late Wednesday that the arrests were made after reviewing surveillance footage. Police said they had seized equipment from the suspects that they believed was used in the attack and condemned the apparent attempt to inflame sectarian and religious tensions in the West Bank.
Jenin’s Holy Redeemer Church posted photos of the arson on social media, showing the skeleton of a synthetic Christmas tree, its green plastic branches charred, along with red and gold ornaments scattered across the courtyard. The church said the attack happened around 3 a.m. Monday and part of the nativity scene was also damaged.
The church immediately cleaned up the burnt tree and erected a new Christmas tree in time for Christmas Mass a day later. The church held a special ceremony with the presence of local Muslim and Christian leaders and politicians. The Rev. Amer Jubran, the local church pastor, said the arson was an isolated incident and stressed the unity of the town.
“This occasion confirmed that attempts to damage religious symbols will never diminish the spirit of the city nor the faith of its people,” Holy Redeemer Church said in a statement. The church did not respond to additional requests for comment.
The small Christian community in the West Bank faces growing threats of extremism from both sides, including Israel Due to settlers and Palestinian extremists, they had to leave the area in large numbers.
Between 1%–2% of the West Bank’s approximately 3 million residents are Christian, the majority of whom are Muslim. In the wider Middle East, the Christian population has declined steadily as people have fled conflict and attacks.
Israel, whose founding declaration includes protecting freedom of religion and all holy sites, sees itself as an island of religious tolerance in a volatile region. But some church officials and watchdog groups have recently lamented a rise in anti-Christian sentiment and persecution, particularly in Jerusalem’s Old City. Extremist Israeli settlers have also vandalized and burned churches and areas around Christian villages.
The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has led to increased violence in the West Bank, with the Israeli military targeting militants in large-scale operations that have killed hundreds of Palestinians and displaced thousands. This coincided with an increase in settler violence and Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Palestinian militants have carried out attacks in Israel and the West Bank, killing Israelis.
Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East War. The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority has limited autonomy in parts of the territory, including the northern West Bank city of Jenin, known as a militant stronghold.