Tabgha, September 23, 2015
Israel will pay damages to the Church of Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes in Biblical Capernaum in accordance with the Israeli Compensation Payment to Victims of Hostile Actions Law.
This decision was made by deputy legal adviser to the government in economic and tax affairs Avi Licht, reports NEWSru.co.il.
At first the taxation authority refused to pay compensation, asserting that the arson had been an ordinary criminal offense. But when the Church representatives appealed again, the tax administration submitted the matter to the legal adviser for consideration.
Avi Licht, after familiarizing himself with the investigation results, ordered that damages be paid to the church because of the ideological motive for the arson attack (though he connected the incident with the Arab-Israeli conflict).
Early in the morning on June 18, 2015, there was a strong fire in the Catholic Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes in Capernaum (Tabgha, Kfar Nakhum). Two people were slightly injured in the fire – they suffered carbon monoxide poisoning.
The church archives and office facilities were destroyed by the fire, which caused serious damage to the temple. Extracts from Jewish prayers were also sprayed in red paint on the wall outside the church.
On July 29, an indictment was filed in the district court of Nazareth against two prime suspects – 20-year-old Yinon Reuveni from the town of Ofakim, and 19-year-old Yehuda Asraf from Elad.
