French Nun Attacked in Jerusalem: Israeli Police Arrest 36-Year-Old Man
A French nun suffered an unprovoked assault in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem earlier this week, with footage showing her being shoved from behind and then kicked while on the ground. The attack, which left the nun with a bruised face, occurred as she walked past the Cenacle on Mount Zion, a site considered holy by both Christians and Jews.
Israeli police subsequently arrested a 36-year-old man in connection with the incident on suspicion of racially motivated assault. The French Consulate in Jerusalem condemned the aggression, while Israel's Foreign Ministry stated the act contradicted the nation's purported values of respect and religious freedom.
This assault is not an isolated event. Jerusalem's Old City has seen a documented increase in aggressive behaviour and spitting by religious Jews towards those in Christian attire, alongside instances of church property vandalism and settler takeovers. A 2025 report by the Rossing Center highlighted a "recent surge in overt animosity towards Christianity," attributing it to "a continued deepening of polarisation and ultra-nationalist political trends."
In March, Israeli police controversially prevented the Roman Catholic leader in Jerusalem from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday Mass, an unprecedented restriction. Last month, an image of an Israeli soldier damaging a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon circulated widely, prompting an apology from Israeli officials and disciplinary action for the soldiers involved.
