A German abbot in Jerusalem called on Monday for more decisive action to be taken against anti-Christian attacks in Israel, after he was spat at by two Jews in the famed Old City.
Father Nicodemus Schnabel, abbot of the Abbey of the Dormition in Jerusalem, was attacked and spat on by two Jews on Saturday. They also insulted Jesus.
The Benedictine monk was out for a walk in the city at the time with a German journalist who documented the incident.
A police spokeswoman said on Monday that the two suspects had been detained on Saturday and placed under house arrest. One of them is a 17-year-old from Jerusalem.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz spoke on X of an "ugly incident." He strongly condemned such attacks on members of other religions.
Father Nicodemus told dpa on Monday that he wanted the Israeli government and the public to recognize the problem of "hatred of Christians from the Jewish side."
It is "not a huge problem," but it is being ignored, he said.
Nicodemus emphasized that he had received a lot of solidarity from fellow rabbis and Muslims after the attack, "but there is this small radical group."
The Abbey of the Dormition on the edge of Jerusalem's Old City has often been the target of attacks. According to the German abbot, these have included graffiti, slashed car tyres, desecration of cemeteries and smashed windows. In 2014, there was also an arson attack on the facility.
Christians are a small minority in Israel, making up only 2% of the approximately 10 million citizens.