Israeli soldier destroying Jesus statue sparks global outrage, investigation launched

CALGARY — A photo of an Israeli soldier destroying a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer in a southern Lebanese village that is home to Christians has been confirmed to be real, causing widespread condemnation..Reuters reports that the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) confirmed the photo’s authenticity, as well as the location of the incident as the village of Debel, and has since launched an investigation into the matter.On Monday, Israel’s prime minister and foreign minister condemned the desecration of the statue, with Benjamin Netanyahu saying, like the “overwhelming majority of Israelis,” he was “stunned and saddened” to learn that an Israeli had damaged the religious icon..“I condemn the act in the strongest terms. Military authorities are conducting a criminal probe of the matter and will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender,” Netanyahu said.“While Christians are being slaughtered in Syria and Lebanon by Muslims, the Christian population in Israel thrives unlike elsewhere in the Middle East. Israel is the only country in the region where the Christian population and standard of living are growing. Israel is the only place in the Middle East that adheres to freedom of worship for all.”The photo was originally posted over the weekend by Younis Tirawi, a self-described Palestinian reporter, and shows the IDF soldier taking a sledgehammer to the head of the statue, which according to Fadi Falfel, a priest in Debel, was part of a small shrine located in a garden of a family living on the outskirts of the village."One of the Israeli soldiers broke the cross and did this horrible thing, this desecration of our holy symbols," Falfel stated.Debel is one of several villages in south Lebanon which is now effectively under Israeli occupation.Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted to social media platform X that the soldier’s actions were “grave and disgraceful.”.“I’m confident that the necessary strict measures will be taken against whoever carried out this ugly act,” Saar posted.“This shameful action is completely contrary to our values. Israel is a country that respects the different religions and their sacred symbols, and upholds tolerance and respect among faiths. We apologize for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt.”The Israeli military has since confirmed the incident was being investigated.However, critics online were not quick to accept the Israeli officials’ apologies, and pointed out a history of the IDF desecrating Christian symbols.“Israeli soldiers have been posting images of their war crimes and cultural desecration for two and a half years straight without interruption,” journalist Ryan Grim said on X.Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that it was “good” Israeli officials such as Saar apologized quickly..“That soldier should be punished, but lessons should also be drawn regarding the way they are being trained,” Sikorski said.“IDF soldiers themselves admit to war crimes. They killed not only civilian Palestinians but even their own hostages.”Saar responded that he strongly rejected Sikorski’s statement against the IDF, adding that no Western military “fights terrorism more precisely, or on the basis of better intelligence, than the IDF, with a constant effort to minimize civilian casualties.”.“In every war, there are operational accidents, including cases where a military force is harmed by its own fire,” Saar said.“Unfortunately, in every war, uninvolved civilians are harmed, especially when terrorists use civilian populations as human shields.”He added that instead of Sikorski “preaching morality to others,” he should condemn a recent antisemitic display that occurred last week in the Polish parliament.“One should be cautious about making irresponsible statements that can ultimately lead to dangerous consequences,” Saar said.Sikorski fired back that he had condemned the antisemitic incident by a “far-right member” of the Polish parliament on the same day that it had occurred, adding the member would be "disciplined by the Speaker."

Israeli soldier destroying Jesus statue sparks global outrage, investigation launched

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