IDF soldier’s destruction of Jesus statue triggers Poland-Israel spat – POLITICO

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has accused his Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski of making “irresponsible statements” in a dispute over the destruction of a Christian symbol in Lebanon by a member of the Israel Defense Forces.

Sa’ar apologized “to every Christian” on Monday after a photo circulating on social media over the weekend appeared to show an Israeli soldier hitting a statue of Jesus in the head with a sledgehammer. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “stunned and saddened” by the incident.

But despite the apologies, Sikorski wrote on X that the soldier in question should be “punished” and “lessons should be drawn” about the army’s training.