An Israel Defense Forces soldier bludgeoned a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon and another soldier photographed the act.
Both were ordered to 30 days in military detention. Their ultimate fate remains unknown, but the damage to Israel’s image, and the IDF’s image, is all too known.
Needless to say, this act was condemned by the prime minister of Israel, by the IDF and by countless Israelis and Jews around the world. Our questions are not such as these: Why was so much attention paid to this out-of-character act when the Tomb of Joseph is routinely desecrated by Palestinians? Why must the Tomb of Rachel become an armed fortress to protect the Jews who pray there from attacks by Palestinians? These are not our questions. We do not live by others’ standards. The crucifix desecration raises the question of the standards of the guilty soldiers.
Not to mention, their stupidity.
Here they are, defending Israel from Hezbollah in a Christian Arab area of southern Lebanon — did they think their act of desecration would advance Israel’s cause, or safety?
This is our question: Who were the guilty soldiers’ teachers, in and out of the IDF? Needless to say, they too must be punished — and educated.
© IJN 2026
