The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for the trial of those responsible for the attack on the Church of the Tomb of the Virgin Mary "Gethsemane" in occupied Jerusalem.

"Moscow expects the Israeli authorities to provide an unambiguous assessment of what happened against the Gethsemane Church in Jerusalem, and to take comprehensive measures to prosecute those responsible for the attack," said Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the ministry.

“Such abusive behaviors cannot but cause deep concern,” she added, in a comment posted on the ministry’s website. “We note an alarming pace in the recent increase in the number of anti-Christian incidents. At the same time, churches and cemeteries of various Christian denominations, clergy and monks have become targets for attacks.” "We are convinced that there is no justification for such criminal acts. We hope that the Israeli authorities will provide an unequivocal assessment of what happened and take comprehensive measures to bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent such incidents in the future."

On the nineteenth of March, two settlers stormed the church and tried to destroy its contents, inflict physical harm on clergy, and intimidate visitors and pilgrims.

This is the fifth attack of its kind against Christian places of worship in occupied Jerusalem by Jewish extremists since the beginning of this year. Prior to that, settlers stormed the building of the "imprisonment of Christ" church in the Old City of Jerusalem, broke and destroyed some of its contents, and tried to set it on fire. The cemetery of the Episcopal Church was also attacked, in addition to attempts to storm the Armenian Patriarchate, and racist phrases were written on its walls.