Israeli police on Friday arrested a 36-year-old man caught on video attacking a Catholic nun near David’s Tomb outside Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday. Police said they arrested the unnamed man “on suspicion of a racially motivated attack” and he remained in custody.
The nun, a researcher at the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, was bruised in the assault. Olivier Poquillon, the school’s director, called the attack an “act of sectarian violence” in a post on X. Police video showed the suspect wearing tzitzit, a fringed undergarment worn by some observant Jewish men.
Abunassar, the Holy Land Christian Forum coordinator, attributed the swift police response to the fact that the attack was caught on camera. He expressed frustration with the broader Israeli legal response to anti-Christian violence.
“I feel great anger on the system and great sadness because I feel that this will not end anytime soon,” he said. “Many times in such cases there are no arrests and if there are arrests, sometimes after one or two days, (suspects) are released. In some cases, the police do not recommend the prosecution to file charges or to indict them. And in some cases, when there is indictment, the indictment is mild.”
Religious groups have documented a rise in acts of harassment and violence against Christian pilgrims and clergy as well as Palestinian Christian residents, including assaults and spitting, often by ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.
The arrest comes at a time when Israeli treatment of religious minorities is under international scrutiny. Weeks earlier, police limited access for holiday worship to Muslims and Christians, including Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Israel also drew criticism after a soldier photographed himself bludgeoning a fallen statue of Jesus with an ax in southern Lebanon; Israeli leaders later disavowed the incident and said the soldier would be reprimanded.
“In a city sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike, we remain committed to protecting all communities and ensuring those responsible for violence are held accountable,” Israeli police said in a social media post about Friday’s arrest.