A scuffle between Israeli police and Coptic priests at a major Christian holy site in Jerusalem has drawn condemnation from Egypt.
Police and Coptic priests wrangled today outside a contested chapel at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.
The Copts were protesting the start of restoration work by the Israel Antiquities Authority at the St. Michael the Archangel Chapel, which both the Ethiopian and Egyptian Orthodox churches claim.
The police forcibly removed the priests after they barred entry to the workers.
Israel Police officers restrain a Coptic cleric during a protest against safety maintenance work at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem, October 24, 2018. (Patriarchate of the Orthodox Copts in Jerusalem/Facebook)
Mazen Qupti, a lawyer for the Coptic church, says one priest was briefly detained and several suffered minor injuries.
Egypt’s foreign ministry expresses a “total rejection” of Israeli police “violence” and says it’s “closely monitoring the situation.”
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From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
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