Jerusalem police arrested seven ultra-Orthodox suspects over the weekend in connection with attacks on religious sites in the Old City, continuing a crackdown on incidents that have drawn international attention and condemnation from senior Israeli rabbinic authorities.
Four suspects were detained in real time after allegedly spitting toward the Armenian Patriarch's monastery in the Armenian Quarter. Three others were arrested on suspicion of vandalizing graves at a Muslim cemetery in the area.
All seven were questioned on suspicion of breaching public order, an offense treated as particularly serious in the religiously sensitive Old City, and were released under restrictive conditions pending further investigation.
The arrests reflect intensified police operations aimed at preventing assaults on clergy and religious institutions. Over recent months, incidents of ultra-Orthodox individuals spitting on Christian clergy have drawn criticism from Israeli officials and international observers.
Haredi community leaders have been emphatic in distancing mainstream ultra-Orthodox society from the behavior. Uri Maklev, chairman of United Torah Judaism and a Knesset member, told German officials that the haredi community rejects and condemns harassment of Christian clergy, characterizing such acts as aberrations by marginal individuals without leadership support.
Senior rabbis have also weighed in. Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl and Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, rabbi of the Western Wall, issued a statement condemning the spitting and clarifying it has no basis in Jewish law, calling such behavior improper and severe, contradicting Torah values.
Police said they will continue enhanced enforcement in the Old City, including frequent patrols and cooperation with community representatives.
