A few weeks ago, a senior Greek Orthodox clergyman in Israel attended a meeting at a government office in Jerusalem's Givat Shaul quarter. When he returned to his car, an elderly man wearing a skullcap came and knocked on the window. When the clergyman let the window down, the passerby spat in his face.

The clergyman prefered not to lodge a complaint with the police and told an acquaintance that he was used to being spat at by Jews. Many Jerusalem clergy have been subjected to abuse of this kind. For the most part, they ignore it but sometimes they cannot.

On Sunday, a fracas developed when a yeshiva student spat at the cross being carried by the Armenian Archbishop during a procession near the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City. The archbishop's 17th-century cross was broken during the brawl and he slapped the yeshiva student.

The curse of anti-Spittlism can be stopped if Christian leaders take firm action. They must pull their flock into line without delay. “Not all Jews are Spittlists and not all Spittlists are Jews. This brazen attempt to equate the two is hate speech – akin to a blood libel. These are shameful smears on the Jewish people” said an anonymous source. “To avoid putting inter-faith dialogue at risk, Christians must avoid using the word ‘Jew’ entirely, unless properly authorized by a qualified Rabbi” he added.