Palestinian Authority police have arrested three men suspected of setting fire to a Christmas tree and damaging a Nativity display at a Catholic church in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin, authorities said Wednesday.
Police said the suspects were identified after investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the area surrounding the Holy Redeemer Church. Tools believed to have been used in the attack were seized during the arrests, according to a police statement.
Palestinian police strongly denounced the incident, describing it as an effort to provoke sectarian and religious discord in the West Bank, where tensions have intensified amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
The fire broke out in the early hours of Monday, around 3 a.m., damaging a synthetic Christmas tree and part of the church’s Nativity scene, the Holy Redeemer Church said in a statement shared on social media. Images posted by the church showed a charred tree frame, with melted decorations scattered across the courtyard.
Church officials moved quickly to restore the site, cleaning the damaged area and erecting a new Christmas tree the following day in time for Christmas Mass. A special ceremony was later held at the church, attended by local Muslim and Christian leaders as well as political representatives.
Rev. Amer Jubran, the parish priest at the Holy Redeemer Church, described the arson as an isolated act that did not reflect relations in the city. He emphasized that the response demonstrated Jenin’s communal unity.
In a statement, the church said the gathering sent a clear message. “This occasion reaffirmed that attempts to harm religious symbols will never diminish the spirit of the city nor the faith of its people,” it said.
Read Also: SA Ends Visa-Free Entry For Palestinians Amid Migration Fears
Christians make up an estimated 1% to 2% of the West Bank’s roughly three million residents, the vast majority of whom are Muslim. Church leaders and rights groups say the community has been shrinking for years as families leave amid political instability, economic hardship, and rising extremism.
Across the wider Middle East, Christian populations have steadily declined as conflicts and targeted attacks have driven emigration. In the West Bank and Jerusalem, church authorities and monitoring groups have reported an increase in harassment and vandalism in recent years, including attacks linked to extremist Israeli settlers and, at times, Palestinian militants.
The arson attack comes against heightened violence in the West Bank since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Israeli military operations targeting militants have killed hundreds of Palestinians and displaced tens of thousands, while settler attacks and Palestinian assaults on Israelis have also increased.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule in parts of the territory, including Jenin, a northern city that has long been a focus of militant activity and Israeli security operations.
Palestinian police said the investigation into the church attack is continuing and reiterated calls for calm and coexistence during the holiday season.
