B’nai B’rith International President Robert Spitzer and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin, and B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Chairman Dr. Haim Katz, have issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith views with dismay the incident in which an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier smashed with a sledgehammer a statue of Jesus on a cross located on private property in the Christian village of Debel in southern Lebanon.

The image, which was verified by the IDF and went viral last week, unleashed widespread outrage in Israel and internationally. B’nai B’rith stands with its Christian friends and condemns this hurtful act of disdain and defilement in the strongest terms. B’nai B’rith repudiates this and any act of hostility against religious symbols, institutions, clergy and communities, in Israel or abroad. The shameful act was roundly denounced by Israeli officials including President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Minister of Defense Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

Israel remains the only country in the Middle East where the Christian community has continually grown and prospered. Elsewhere in the region, too often Christian communities have been decimated and under attack.

The IDF has rightly punished the soldier who damaged the statue, as well as the soldier who filmed the act, with military detention and removal from combat duty. Moving forward, we urge the relevant Israeli authorities and the IDF to continue to maintain and intensify efforts—through education, training, proper oversight and prosecution of any offenses—to effectively deter and prevent any repetition of the sort of crime publicized last week.

As a democratic Jewish state fundamentally committed to pluralism and religious freedom, the safety of religious institutions, communities and clergy must be protected in Israel and by those operating under its jurisdiction. The B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem will relay its strong convictions in this regard to Israeli government and military officials.