This was uncalled for and just a reminder that there is a war on Christmas.

The Palestinian Authority police have reported that three Palestinians have been arrested after allegedly torching a Christmas tree that was located near a church in the West Bank.

Take a look:

KUTV reported more on the Christmas tree getting torched:

Three Palestinians have been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a Christmas tree and damaging part of a Nativity scene at a Catholic Church in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian Authority police said.

Police said late Wednesday that the arrests were made after reviewing surveillance footage. Police said they seized tools from the suspects that they believe were used in the attack, and condemned the apparent attempt to incite sectarian and religious tensions in the West Bank.

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The Holy Redeemer Church of Jenin posted photos on social media of the arson, showing the skeleton of a synthetic Christmas tree that had been gutted of the green plastic branches, with red and gold ornaments strewn across the courtyard. The church said that the attack occurred around 3 a.m. Monday and also damaged part of the Nativity scene.

The tiny Christian community in the West Bank is facing growing threats of extremism from multiple sides, including both Israeli settlers and Palestinian extremists, leading them to leave the region in droves.

The tree was later put back up:

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Fox News reported more on the cleanup effort:

The torched tree was quickly cleaned up by the church, which erected a new one a day after the attack in time for Christmas Mass.

The church held a special ceremony with local Muslim and Christian leaders and politicians in attendance. Rev. Amer Jubran, the local priest at the church, said the arson was an isolated incident and emphasized the city’s unity.

“This occasion reaffirmed that attempts to harm religious symbols will never diminish the spirit of the city nor the faith of its people,” the Holy Redeemer Church said in a statement.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
 

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