SW News: In the Holy Land, which is roiled by conflict, Christian leaders have bemoaned the violence against minorities by hardliners. This comes in the background of the attack on an Armenian Christian establishment in the Christian Quarter of the Old City on Thursday. A group of radical Jewish settlers laid siege to the Taboon Wine Barat near the New Gate and threw chairs violently at the guests seated inside.

CCTV footage shows the group carrying banners and indulging in violence. There were allegations that police arrived only after an hour. Although they dispersed the mob, they failed to make any arrests. The act of violence against the Christian establishment was flayed by the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, which is an association of the heads of various Catholic churches in both Israel and Palestinian territory.

In a statement, they said, “This unprovoked violence instilled fear in the shopkeepers and residents of the Christian quarter as well as visitors.” They said it is the latest in a series of “episodes of religious violence that is affecting the symbols of the Christian community”. In a powerful sign of solidarity with the victims, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa visited the owners of the restaurant that was attacked on Friday. He said there was an increased threat to the presence of Christians in the region.

Condemning the violence, the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem in a statement called for the “protection of the unarmed people of the Old City from radical aggressors who aim to change the diverse character of the city of Jerusalem and its cultural and religious mosaic.”

There are reports that the Jewish settlers blasphemed the Islamic prophet and chanted “Death to the Arabs”. Separately, a Palestinian gunman was neutralized by police on Saturday after he shot at two people in the Old City. The badly hurt victims were rushed to the hospital. This came a day after another Palestinian gunned down seven worshippers in a synagogue.