WATCH: ‘We respect Christians,' Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion tells ALL ISRAEL NEWS
The mayor denounced the act of spitting at Christians and promised to do everything to stop it
Jerusalem’s Mayor Moshe Lion strongly denounced recent incidents of ultra-Orthodox Jews spitting at Christians in Jerusalem during an interview with ALL ISRAEL NEWS on Wednesday.
Lion also spoke about the recent calls made by a former member of the Jerusalem City Council, Mina Fanton, who encouraged protests against the Christian presence during the annual Jerusalem March, which took place on Wednesday.
“These calls are hopeless, nobody pays attention to them, of course,” Lion told ALL ISRAEL NEWS on the sidelines of the march.
Thousands of Christians took part in the colorful parade, carrying flags from their nations and signs with messages of love and support for Israel.
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) has been participating in the Jerusalem Flag March since 1980 and has made the parade a core part of its week-long Feast of Tabernacles celebration.
On Tuesday evening, Fanton and around 50 ultra-Orthodox Jews staged a protest during 'Israeli night' at the Feast of Tabernacles, chanting “Missionaries go home!” and other offensive comments.
When asked if Christian tourists should be afraid to come to Jerusalem after the recent incidents of ultra-Orthodox Jews spitting at Christians and churches in Jerusalem, Lion exclaimed, “God forbid! Absolutely not.”
“I think that the Christian tourists feel very good in Jerusalem. We are talking about a minority here, which spits on the holy places. I denounce this, and not only I, but everybody denounces this and is opposed to it, we respect the Christians, and everyone should live according to his faith,” Lion added.
The mayor stressed that he wants everyone to feel at home in Jerusalem and that the municipality will do “everything” possible to prevent such events from recurring, including through more education about the issue.
“There won’t be such incidents, we won’t let such incidents happen again,” Lion vowed.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
