There are growing fears over security surrounding Pope Francis’ two-day visit to Israel, which is to begin on 24 May.  Just weeks before the pontiff arrives, an increase in hate crime attacks has Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service worried about an attack by right-wing extremists.

On Monday, vandals painted the Hebrew words for “Death to Arabs and Christians and all those who hate Israel” on an outer column of the Office of the Assembly of Bishops at the Notre Dame Center in East Jerusalem.  It’s where the Pope plans to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The wave of fanaticism and intimation against Christians continues,” read a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which decried the “lack of security” and “lack of responsiveness from the political sector” of Israel.  “The Notre Dame Center is property of the Holy See and this provocation comes two weeks before Pope Francis' visit to the Holy Land and Jerusalem,” it continued.

The Patriarchate is drawing parallels from the graffiti to the recent wave of “Price Tag” attacks against Palestinians.  Those happen when the Israeli government takes action against illegal Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas.  The settlers then target Palestinian homes, mosques, or churches with vandalism or arson.  The property is sprayed with graffiti including the phrase “Price Tag” – implying that the violent incident is the “cost” of Israeli government action on settlements or for anti-Israeli violence.

If Israeli right-wing extremists do stage some sort of attack, it’ll be because the government refused to take them seriously, according to former Shin Bet chief Carmi Gillon.

“We don’t see results because we don’t have the intention to,” Gillon said, adding that in the Shin Bet “there’s no such thing as can’t – there’s don’t want to.”

“Israel doesn’t enforce its laws,” alleged Former Mossad chief Shabtai Shavit.