Employees of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation were shocked to discover politically motivated graffiti on the stones of the southern section of the Kosel in the early hours of Monday morning.
The words “There’s a Holocaust in Gaza”—taken straight from the playbook of the most vicious anti-Israel actors—were spray-painted across the stones.
Kosel Rav HaRav Shmuel Rabinovitch expressed great tza’ar over the desecration of the kedushah of the Kosel, stating, “A holy place is not a place to express protests of any kind, and all the more so at the holiest place for the entire Jewish people.”
“The police must investigate the incident, locate the criminals who desecrated the holy site, and bring them to justice.”
In the past, a similar incident occurred on the northern side of the Kosel, and extensive halachic discussions were held regarding the appropriate method to remove the writing from the Kosel stones. In this case as well, HaRav Rabinovitch will instruct the professional authorities on how to remove the writing in a way that does not harm the kedushah of the Kosel.
Shortly after the incident was reported, the police announced that Jerusalem District police officers arrested a suspect, a Jewish resident of the capital in his 20s, after security guards spotted him near the southern section of the Kosel early Monday morning.
He was transferred for questioning, during which it was revealed that he had sprayed a similar slogan on the wall of the Great Synagogue in central Jerusalem overnight Sunday.
According to the police, the suspect confessed to the acts and apologized. He will be brought before a court for a hearing later on Monday, where the police will request an extension of his detention.
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