Suspect Arrested for Defacing Kosel and Shul in Yerushalayim

A 27-year-old man was arrested Monday for spraying graffiti on the Kosel and a shul in Yerushalayim, according to police reports. According to the Times of Israel, he was taken to a mental facility.

The graffiti, written in Hebrew, read: “There is a Holocaust in Gaza” on both the Kosel and the Great Synagogue in Yerushalayim.

Security personnel spotted the vandalism near the Mugrabi Gate on Monday morning and promptly notified Israel Police. During the investigation, officers found a similar message painted on the wall of the Great Synagogue. At the shul, he added the words “all that is published is false.”

The offensive graffiti at the Kosel has already been removed.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced that its conservation specialists have removed the graffiti from the Kosel. The team used cleaning materials specifically chosen to avoid damaging the ancient stones. By mid-afternoon, the IAA reported that the graffiti had been completely erased.“Damage to antiquities sites constitutes a serious violation of the law and, of course, of our shared cultural heritage,” stated Ami Shahar, head of the IAA Conservation Division. “The offense is all the more severe when it concerns the Western Wall…”

According to the Times of Israel, the graffiti was sprayed near the, rachmana litzlan, “egalitarian” portion of the complex.

Following the discovery that the vandalism occurred at more than one site, authorities decided to bring the suspect before the court later in the day, with police intending to request an extension of his detention.

Police also revealed that the same suspect was arrested in Tel Aviv last week for defacing a photograph of a soldier killed in the current war.

Rav of the Kosel and Mekomos Hakedoshim, Harav Shmuel Rabinowitz, denounced the act, saying: “A holy place is not a place to express protests,” and urged police to find and appropriately deal with the perpetrator.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich condemned the vandal on X/Twitter, writing: “They have forgotten what it means to be Jewish. Those who are capable of defiling [the stones] with sickening antisemitic blood libels have forgotten what it means to be Jewish.”

MK Benny Gantz called the act “a crime against all of Israel,” urging police to investigate and bring those responsible to justice.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz described the defacement as “a vile act and a crossing of a red line that cannot be tolerated.”

Education Minister Yoav Kisch wrote: “The Western Wall is the place where generations of Jews stood in prayer and tears. It is a symbol of the unity and eternity of the Jewish people. Harming it is harming us all.”