A police investigation into last month’s arson attack on the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha in the Galilee has seen a “new development”, Israeli media reported over the weekend.
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The Church of the Multiplication at Tabgha, on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, is at the site where many Christians believe Jesus fed the 5,000 in the miracle of the five loaves and two fish.
It said that Israeli police units based in the West Bank had indicated that the perpetrators were Jewish settlers and that the police had arrested them in cooperation with security services.
The suspects will be brought Sunday before a judge in Nazareth. Two people suffered injuries from smoke inhalation at the time. As well as extensive fire damage to the church, a verse from a Hebrew prayer denouncing the worship of “false gods” was spray-painted in red on an outer wall of the church, suggesting Jewish zealots were responsible.
Police initially held 16 youths for questioning, although they were later released with no charges.
Investigation showed the blaze broke out in several places inside the limestone Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, evidence that it was started deliberately.
The arson had sparked widespread condemnation and concern from Christians globally, with the site visited by about 5,000 people each day. A modern church now sits at the site, incorporating remains of a 5th-century Byzantine church and its mosaics.
The Rabbis for Human Rights group said there have been 43 hate crime attacks against churches, mosques and monasteries in Israel and the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2009.
Top Israeli figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urged law enforcement agencies to get results in the investigation, fearing not only for Israel’s image but also for damage to pilgrimage tourism.
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Police did not provide a number or further details on their identities, but an ultra-nationalist organisation said three young Jewish men had been arrested.
