Israeli police on Monday arrested a 27-year-old Jerusalem man suspected of spray-painting anti-war slogans, including "there's a holocaust in Gaza," on a section of the Western Wall and at the city's Great Synagogue.
Police said the graffiti at the Western Wall was sprayed on the southern section near the mixed-gender prayer area. At the Great Synagogue, slogans included "there's a holocaust in Gaza" and another in broken Hebrew that roughly translated to "all that is published is a lie."
Opposition lawmaker Gilad Kariv condemned the act as "despicable," saying it "hurts the feelings of the Jewish people from all communities and streams." He called it "the most horrible and disgraceful way to raise awareness of the need to end the war."
Far-right Minister Bezalel Smotrich also denounced the graffiti, calling the allegation a "sick antisemitic blood libel" and saying those responsible "have forgotten what it means to be Jewish." He urged the Israel Police to "leave no stone unturned" in finding those who "desecrated the sanctities of Israel" and to bring them to justice.
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