{"id":2593953,"date":"2026-04-22T19:01:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T23:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-israeli-soldiers-jailed-for-involvement-in-smashing-jesus-statue\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T19:02:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T23:02:49","slug":"two-israeli-soldiers-jailed-for-involvement-in-smashing-jesus-statue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-israeli-soldiers-jailed-for-involvement-in-smashing-jesus-statue\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Israeli Soldiers Jailed for Involvement in Smashing Jesus Statue"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftwo-israeli-soldiers-jailed-for-involvement-in-smashing-jesus-statue%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2593953&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Israeli Defense Forces announced that a soldier who damaged a statue of Jesus in Debel, southern Lebanon, and another soldier who photographed the act have been removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days of military detention. The statue was later replaced in coordination with the local Debel community, and the IDF expressed regret, vowing that such incidents will not happen again. An internal inquiry found the soldiers\u2019 conduct deviated from IDF orders and values, with remaining troops summoned for clarification before further actions are taken. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the act, emphasized israel\u2019s commitment to religious freedom, and noted that all religions flourish in the contry. In related context, a Pew Research Center poll this month showed American views on Israel varying by group: 65 percent of white evangelical Protestants, 64 percent of Jewish Americans, and 35 percent of Roman Catholics held favorable views of Israel.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Israeli Defense Forces announced on Tuesday that its soldier who smashed a statue of Jesus in Lebanon &mdash; and another who photographed it &mdash; have been removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days in jail.<\/p>\n<p>Further, the IDF said that the statue has been replaced &ldquo;in full coordination with the local community of Debel in southern Lebanon,&rdquo; where the incident took place.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The IDF expresses deep regret over the incident, and is working to ensure that it does not happen again in the future,&rdquo; the Israelis said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald Trump\">social media post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">A short while ago, in full coordination with the local community of Debel in southern Lebanon, the damaged statue was replaced by IDF troops. The Northern Command worked to coordinate the replacement of the statue from the moment it received the report of the incident.<\/p>\n<p>The IDF&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nGh1s1iia1\">pic.twitter.com\/nGh1s1iia1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IDF\/status\/2046597268904558765?\">April 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Debel is one of the villages near the border of Israel in which the IDF has been operating to root out Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The cross was part of a &#8203;small shrine in the garden of a family living on the edge &#8288;of the village, said Fadi Falfel, a priest &#8288;in Debel,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/two-israeli-soldiers-jailed-over-smashing-of-jesus-statue-in-lebanon-13534580\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sky News<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>In another statement posted to X, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/idf-takes-quick-action-soldier-caught-smashing-statue-jesus-lebanon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IDF<\/a> said its inquiry into the incident found that an &ldquo;IDF soldier damaged a Christian religious symbol while another soldier photographed the act,&rdquo; while &ldquo;six additional soldiers were present at the scene and did not act to stop the incident or report it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The inquiry determined that the soldiers&rsquo; conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and values,&rdquo; the Israelis said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Accordingly, it was decided that the soldier who damaged the Christian symbol and the soldier who photographed the act will be removed from combat duty and will receive 30 days of military detention,&rdquo; the statement added.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The remaining troops who stood by have been summoned for clarification discussions that will be held later on, after which further command-level measures will be determined.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Findings and Conclusions of the Inquiry into the Conduct of an IDF Soldier Who Damaged a Christian Symbol in Southern Lebanon<\/p>\n<p>The inquiry found that during IDF activity in the area of the Christian village of Debel in southern Lebanon, an IDF soldier damaged a Christian&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/73ubDn3L2G\">https:\/\/t.co\/73ubDn3L2G<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IDF\/status\/2046589834341351758?\">April 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Israeli Prime Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/report-claims-trump-called-off-last-second-strike-iran-wednesday-phone-call-netanyahu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> posted Monday on X, &ldquo;Yesterday, like the overwhelming majority of Israelis, I was stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon. I condemn the act in the strongest terms. Military authorities are conducting a criminal probe of the matter and will take <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >appropriately harsh disciplinary action<\/a> against the offender.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uk-govt-lockdown-to-last-12-months-expect-repeated-vaccinations\/\" title=\"UK Govt: Lockdown to Last 12+ Months, Expect Repeated Vaccinations\">prime minister<\/a> also noted that Israel allows for religious freedom, unlike many other nations in the region.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;All religions flourish in our land and we view members of all faiths as equals in building our society and region,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">As the Jewish state, Israel cherishes and upholds the Jewish values of tolerance and mutual respect between Jews and worshippers of all faiths. All religions flourish in our land and we view members of all faiths as equals in building our society and region.<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday, like the&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Benjamin Netanyahu &ndash; &#1489;&#1504;&#1497;&#1502;&#1497;&#1503; &#1504;&#1514;&#1504;&#1497;&#1492;&#1493; (@netanyahu) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/netanyahu\/status\/2046166181258650016?\">April 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A Pew Research Center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/07\/negative-views-of-israel-netanyahu-continue-to-rise-among-americans-especially-young-people\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">poll<\/a> published this month found white evangelical Protestants have the most favorable view of Israel among the American electorate at 65 percent support, followed closely by Jewish-Americans at 64 percent. Meanwhile, 35 percent of Roman Catholics hold a favorable view of the Jewish state.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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The inquiry concluded the soldiers\u2019 conduct deviated from IDF orders and values, leading to the removal and detention for the two involved, while the remaining troops were summoned for clarification before further disciplinary steps.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted that he was stunned and saddened by the act, condemned it, and said a criminal probe is underway with appropriately harsh disciplinary action. He also stressed Israel\u2019s commitment to religious freedom and equality among all faiths.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; A Pew Research Center poll cited alongside the coverage indicated that white evangelical Protestants have the most favorable view of Israel among American groups (about 65%), Jewish Americans 64%, and Roman Catholics about 35%.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; (Note: The text also contains unrelated advertising and UI\/script elements, which are not part of the substantive news report.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2593954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-04-22T163656.829.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[69689,4671,78107,4187,16384],"class_list":["post-2593953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-court-case-2","tag-israel","tag-jesus-statue","tag-soldiers","tag-vandalism"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-04-22T163656.829.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2593953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2593953"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2593953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2593957,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2593953\/revisions\/2593957"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2593954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2593953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2593953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2593953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}