An Israeli soldier put a cigarette into the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds

Ashley Davis07/05/2026

0 46 2 minutes read

A photo published on social media shows an Israeli army soldier putting a cigarette into the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in a Christian village in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli Army has already announced that the soldier will be subject to disciplinary action. In response to media questions, she emphasized that she “takes the incident seriously”, adding that the behavior of the military man seen in the photo “deviates from the values expected from soldiers.”

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds. “Another Incident”

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to the outrageous photo on Thursday. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes with indignation another case of insulting religious feelings by a soldier of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Lebanon. The contempt with which he treated the statue of the Virgin Mary offends the sensitivity of Christians,” wrote Maciej Wewiór, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He noted that by joining the UN, Israel adopted the values of this organization expressed in the Declaration, including: the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

“The obligation to ensure respect for this right, which is fundamental to human dignity, rests with every state. In Poland, insulting anyone's religious feelings is a punishable act. Another incident involving a representative of the State of Israel, violating the religious feelings of Christians, does not create an atmosphere conducive to peace in the Middle East and the development of cooperation,” said the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Outrageous behavior of Israeli soldiers

Preliminary findings, provided, among others, by Israeli public broadcaster Kan, indicate that the photo was taken a few weeks ago in the town of Debl, a few kilometers from the border with Israel, although it was published only now. In the same village inhabited by Maronite Christians, at the end of April, another Israeli soldier destroyed a statue of Jesus. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu later condemned the incident, and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called it shameful and apologized to everyone, especially Christians.

The soldier who destroyed the statue was removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days in prison. The military officer who photographed the incident received the same punishment.

After a wave of international outrage and criticism from Christian circles, on April 23, Israel announced the appointment of a special envoy for relations with the Christian world.

Ashley Davis07/05/2026

0 46 2 minutes read