Christian graves desecrated in historic Jerusalem cemetery

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — More than 30 graves at a historic Christian cemetery in Jerusalem have been found toppled and vandalized, jolting the Christian minority in the contested city. Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday called the attack an “immoral act” and “an affront to religion.” Jerusalem’s Anglican Archbishop called it a hate crime. Mount Zion, associated in Christian tradition with the site of the Last Supper that Jesus shared with his disciples the night before his crucifixion, is also sacred to Jews and Muslims and has been at the center of competing religious claims throughout the decadeslong Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jewish extremists have defaced church property on Mount Zion in the past years.