Police in Jerusalem arrested a 36-year-old who was caught on video attacking a nun, marking the latest attack on Christians in the region.
The suspect, who has not been named, was arrested “on suspicion of a racially motivated attack.” The nun was bruised by the attack, and the suspect wore a tzitzit at the time of the attack, the police said.
Video of the incident circulated on social media, identifying the nun as a French Catholic. In the video, the suspect runs up to the nun and shoves her, knocking her to the ground. He walks away, then returns and kicks her as other people gather and intervene, at which point the suspect turns on them and tries to kick them instead.
Attacks Against Christians on the Rise
It is the latest in a series of harassment and violence against Christians—including clergy, pilgrims and Palestinian Christians—often by ultra-Orthodox Jewish yeshiva students, according to the Associated Press.
Last month, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier appeared to destroy a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in Lebanon. A photo of it went viral and prompted a response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he was “stunned and saddened” to learn of the attack.
“I condemn the act in the strongest terms,” Netanyahu said, adding that the military would conduct a criminal probe.
“As the Jewish state, Israel cherishes and upholds the Jewish values of tolerance and mutual respect between Jews and worshippers of all faiths,” Netanyahu wrote on X. “All religions flourish in our land and we view members of all faiths as equals in building our society and region.”
That followed an incident in March around Easter when Israel’s wartime restrictions prevented Catholic priests from visiting holy sites during Palm Sunday—the first time such access was restricted “in centuries,” according to the Vatican—which the Catholic Church denounced as “manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate,” even as Israeli police argued that the restrictions were in place for “public safety” as part of the Home Front Command directives.
“The Old City has been targeted by murderous missiles multiple times this month, alongside constant fire on residential areas,” Israeli police posted on X at the time. “These threats do not discriminate between religions, and neither does our duty to protect you.”
“We are in active dialogue with religious leaders, including an upcoming meeting with the Patriarch, to examine solutions that balance freedom of worship with public safety,” the police added, stressing that the restrictions applied for “Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.”
Religious Minorities Face Difficult Times
Tensions have also risen between Jewish Israelis and members of other faiths, such as the Muslim community in Jerusalem. Last month, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led a group of Jewish worshippers to the Al-Aqsa area of the Old City, which has in the past proved a significant flashpoint for the Muslim community.
The Al-Aqsa mosque compound is one of the holiest sites in Islam—said to be where the prophet Mohamed ascended to heaven—but for the Jewish community it is perhaps the holiest site as the former location of the Temple of Solomon and the place where the Third Temple will rise.
Palestinians and officials in Jordan condemned the action as deliberately inflammatory, particularly in light of Ben-Gvir’s visit, saying in a video post on social media that “you feel like you own the place.”
“There is still more to do, more to improve. I keep pushing the prime minister to do more and more—we must keep rising higher and higher,” Ben-Gvir said.
In response, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said it considered the visit a violation of the long-standing status quo agreement and “a desecration of its sanctity, a condemnable escalation and an unacceptable provocation.”
Those of Christian and Muslim faiths have responded to what they view as overreach by the Israeli government in recent months, such as when the Italian government rebuked Israel for an “offense” against religious freedom that has been part of the status quo for decades.
“The Italian government expresses closeness to Cardinal Pizzaballa, Father Ielpo and the religious who have been prevented today by the Israeli authorities from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass in the Holy Sepulchre,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote in a statement.
“The Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a sacred place of Christianity, and as such to be preserved and protected for the celebration of sacred rites. Preventing the entry of the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Keeper of the Holy Land, moreover in a central solemnity for the faith such as Palm Sunday, constitutes an offense not only for believers, but for every community that recognizes religious freedom.”
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