Famous Christian church in Israel vandalized and robbed

A famous Christian church in the north of Israel was vandalized and its chalices were robbed, a police official said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on Monday at the Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, the site where the Christ became radiant and spoke with Moses and Elijah, according to the New Testament's Gospels.

Police launched an investigation but have yet to apprehend any suspects.

The vandals destroyed icons and robbed a charity box with an unknown amount of money and gold chalices. The Communion bread inside the chalices was thrown on the ground.

Local media quoted officials with the church as saying that the aim of vandals was the robbery, not to perpetrate a Jewish hate crime as in other recent incidents.

The police said no hate graffiti was sprayed on the church, as Jewish extremists usually do in attacks on Christian and Muslim holy sites.

Dozens of Muslim and Christian sites -- including mosques, churches, and cemeteries -- were vandalized over the past years by ultranationalist Jews. Endit