Saturday, April 25, 2026 -Italian peacekeepers have replaced a statue of Jesus Christ in the southern Lebanese village of Debel after an Israeli soldier was documented damaging the original figure with a tool.
The incident, which sparked international condemnation, led
to a formal apology from Israel and the detention of two soldiers. Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the act as “wholly inconsistent
with the values expected” of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The restoration took place on Wednesday as Italian
peacekeepers escorted Archbishop Paolo Borgia, the Vatican’s ambassador to
Lebanon, into the village. They were met by residents with ringing church bells
and applause.
Debel, a predominantly Christian community, has been largely
isolated due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Residents
report that Israeli troops, who currently occupy the town along with dozens of
others in the region, strictly limit movement, leaving the remaining 1,600
inhabitants struggling with shortages of food, medicine, and stable internet.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the
peacekeeping contingent, noting that the images of the new statue being placed
in its original garden are "heart-warming and send a powerful message of
hope, dialogue and peace."
While Israel also provided a replacement crucifix that has
been donated to the local parish, the village’s priest, Father Fadi Felefli,
emphasized the importance of the gesture from the Italian forces in providing
comfort to a traumatized population.
Regarding the soldiers involved in the vandalism, Father
Felefli maintained a stance of reconciliation rooted in his faith.
He told CNN that the community accepted the apology in hopes
of easing the "suffocated" conditions in the village, adding, “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.’”
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