Israeli police issue restraining orders to students ahead of Pope visit

Less than 72 hours before Pope Francis departed Rome for the Holy Land, Israeli police issued restraining orders to students planning to disrupt the visit, Israeli police said. The handful of students had "intentions to conduct provocative incidents that would have increased tensions" with the Christian community, possibly including protests and public disturbances, police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld told Al Jazeera.

The restraining order restricts their movement and lasts for four days, but it could be extended to cover the entire Pope's visit, which ends Monday, Rosenfeld said.

The orders arrived after a dramatic spike in vandalism and threats against Christians in Israel, including graffiti spray-painted on churches and on the Vatican's Jerusalem headquarters as well as a specific death threat delivered to the top Catholic official in Nazareth. Catholic officials have accused Israeli police of not doing enough to prevent the hate crimes and have argued that some Israeli schools teach hate and some Israeli politicians preach exclusion — helping inspire the increase in anti-Christian intimidation.