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

 

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

 

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote on X that even Israeli “soldiers themselves admit to war crimes.”

 

April 20, 2026 5:56 pm CET

By Ferdinand Knapp

https://www.politico.eu/article/idf-soldier-destruction-jesus-statue-triggers-poland-israel-spat/

 

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.

 

“IDF soldiers themselves admit to war crimes. They killed not only civilian Palestinians but even their own hostages,” the center-right politician continued.

 

Sikorski’s criticism seemed to add fresh fuel to the dispute. “What you wrote reflects ignorance and a deep lack of understanding,” Sa’ar responded on X on Monday. The IDF is a “professional and ethical army,” the minister added, and “there is no Western military that fights terrorism more precisely, or on the basis of better intelligence, than the IDF.”

 

The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed it had completed an initial investigation into the act and that “appropriate measures” would be taken against “those involved,” adding that the statue would be restored to its original location.

 

Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa also condemned the images as “a grave affront to the Christian faith,” calling for “disciplinary actions” against the perpetrator.

 

The spat comes as tensions between Israel and the EU continue to escalate, with even traditional European allies of Israel voicing criticism of its treatment of Palestinians.

 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was “deeply concerned about developments in the Palestinian territories” following reports by human rights organizations of a surge in violence against the group by settlers in the West Bank. Meanwhile, Italy suspended a defense and technology agreement with Israel last week “in consideration of the current situation” in the Middle East.