U.S. Ambassador David M. Friedman paid a visit today to the historical Beit Jimal Monastery, together with the Israeli NGO Tag Meir, to strongly condemn multiple vandalism attacks on the monastery and its cemetery in recent years. The Ambassador said that all those who believe in religious freedom have a duty to stand up to protect and defend religious minorities.
The monastery is built where Christians believe St. Stephen was buried, and is named after the Talmudic sage Raban Gamliel (Gamliel the Elder), president of the Jewish Sanhedrin in the first century.
Ambassador Friedman said that the monastery "offered a glimpse into the complicated and overlapping history of this holy land."
"I have hope for the future because I know that interfaith friendship is a key part of the strong bonds between Americans and Israelis.
"I want to condemn in the strongest possible terms the multiple vandalism attacks on the monastery and its cemetery that have occurred here over the past several years," the ambassador said.
The monastery was firebombed and vandalized in a 'price tag' incident in 2013.