Jerusalem monastery, Arab-Jewish school attacked

Graffiti attacks against non-Jewish targets have continued in Israel, this time at a Jewish-Arab bilingual school and a Christian monastery.

“Death to Arabs” and “Kahane was right” was painted on the Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education elementary school in Jerusalem on Tuesday morning. The Jewish and Arab students at the school study Hebrew and Arabic. The school is a symbol of coexistence in Jerusalem, according to Haaretz.

Kahane refers to Meir Kahane, the slain ultranationalist and Israeli lawmaker who favored the deportation of Arabs from Israel.

The Greek monastery, an 11th-century holy site in a valley below Israel’s Knesset, also was andalized with painted slogans reading “Jesus dropped dead,” “Death to Christians” and “Price tag.” The graffiti was signed by “The Maccabees of Migron,” referring to an illegal outpost.

“Price tag” refers to the strategy that extremist settlers have adopted to exact a price in attacks on Palestinians and Arabs in retribution for settlement freezes and demolitions, or for Palestinian attacks on Jews.

Jerusalem police have not determined whether the two attacks are related.

“I am a priest and I forgive,” Father Claudio of the monastery told reporters.

The attacks follow at least two similar attacks in recent days on homes in Palestinian villages in the West Bank.