The image began circulating, and causing outrage, on social media on Sunday. In the photograph, apparently recorded by an Israeli soldier, another is seen knocking down a statue of a crucified Jesus Christ with an axe in the southern Lebanon area where troops daily occupy and destroy infrastructure, including homes and schools. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli army have condemned the action shown in the photo after confirming it is real and was taken in Lebanon.
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The image of Christ on the cross was part of a small sanctuary in the garden of a family living on the outskirts of Debel, according to their priest, Fadi Falfel. “One of the Israeli soldiers broke the cross and did that horrible thing, this desecration of our sacred symbols,” he said. It is one of the few villages in southern Lebanon where part of the population has remained, following expulsion orders from the Israeli army that have generated more than a million displaced people. Reuters news agency has geolocated the image there. The mayor of Debel, Aql Naddaf, said he could not confirm exactly what happened or when, as troops have occupied the area for weeks.
The photo was initially disseminated by Younis Tirawi, who describes himself as a Palestinian journalist and has a popular profile where he reveals photos showing war crimes or acts of cruelty spread on social media by Israeli soldiers themselves, especially in Gaza.
Outrage
Attacks against mosques by Israeli soldiers or settlers are more frequent than against churches. But the power of the image, coupled with the fact that it is a Christian symbol, has increased global outrage and led Israeli authorities to issue reactions they do not usually make after desecrations of Muslim temples, tombs, or sacred books.
This Monday, Netanyahu issued a statement in which he expressed being “shocked and saddened to learn that an Israeli army soldier had damaged a religious symbol in southern Lebanon.” “I condemn this action in the strongest terms,” he said before predicting “harsh disciplinary action” against the perpetrator.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also condemned the damage to the statue and apologized to “every Christian whose feelings have been hurt.” The army stated that it views the incident with “great seriousness” and is helping the community to re-erect the crucified Jesus.
This is not the first incident of its kind, but it is one of the most publicized. The fact that the soldier had himself filmed destroying the Christ statue shows the same sense of impunity with which others have filmed themselves committing war crimes in Gaza, the West Bank, or Lebanon; religious fanaticism; or ignorance of the impact it would have on millions of Christian believers worldwide.
Already in the 2024 war, several Israeli soldiers filmed themselves laughing and imitating a wedding inside the church of Deir Mimas, a Christian village just three kilometers from the border, and the video also went viral.
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