Posted on 04/24/2026 5:50:44 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
Israel’s military removed two soldiers from combat duty and placed them in military detention for 30 days after they destroyed the town’s crucifix. The social media picture of an Israeli soldier taking the blunt side of an axe to a fallen sculpture of Jesus on the cross drew worldwide condemnation and apologies from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked the Italian soldiers, saying: “I thank Commander Diodato Abagnara and the entire Italian contingent of UNIFIL for their decision to donate a new crucifix to the Lebanese village of Debel.”
One of the Lebanese women, Alice Hajj, posted on Facebook: “Hallelujah … JESUS will never leave us, we are a people who believe in him and live in him every moment in our lives.”
“We believe that God, in his divine power, has put Debel on the world map to protect it, to hear its voice, and to remind the world that faith is never defeated, no matter how dark it gets,” said one townperson, who is not named.
“He who destroyed the cross did not realize its meaning. … After the cross comes the resurrection. What some thought is weakness has become our strength. The cross was and will remain our protector, our hope and the sign of our salvation,” the person said.
(Excerpt) Read more at osvnews.com ...
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“We are the sons of peace and sons of forgiveness; like Jesus said when he was being crucified, ‘God forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.’ ” - Father Felefli, CNN
✨Ping 🕊️
“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked the Italian soldiers, saying: “I thank Commander Diodato Abagnara and the entire Italian contingent of UNIFIL for their decision to donate a new crucifix to the Lebanese village of Debel.””
Good for these Italian soldiers!
That clarifies some earlier reports.
The Lebanese folks didn’t reject the crucifix the Israeli’s offered but instead placed it in a position of honor inside the church, and apparently are preferring for outside the more realistic style given by the Italians that matches the one that was destroyed.
Thumbs up to both militaries that offered replacements!
This highlights the difference between Israelis and mohammedans ... The Israelis admitted they effed up, dealt appropriately with the individuals who offended, and made amends. Hamastards wouldn’t do that ...
Israel made a decent, previous gesture with the small crucifix, but there are still the widely-circulated videos of IDF soldiers (still not denied by the Israeli government) mocking Catholic rites in Catholic churches in Lebanon.
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