Israeli police said they arrested a 36-year-old man suspected of attacking a nun near Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday, the latest incident targeting Christians around the city’s most contested religious sites. Police said the suspect was taken into custody after the attack near David’s Tomb, outside Zion’s Gate on the southern side of the Old City, and that he was arrested on suspicion of a racially motivated attack.
Police said the arrest followed an incident that was captured on video. They said the nun was bruised, and police video showed the attacker wearing tzitzit, a fringed undergarment worn by some observant Jewish men.
Olivier Poquillon, the director of the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, said the nun was a researcher at the school. Poquillon called the attack an “act of sectarian violence” in a post on X.
The Old City, in Israel-annexed east Jerusalem, is a centuries-old walled enclave that houses holy sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims, and it remains a flash point for tensions over access and ownership. For years, religious groups have documented harassment and violence affecting Christian pilgrims and clergy as well as Palestinian Christian residents, including assaults and spitting.
Wadie Abunassar, the coordinator of the Holy Land Christian Forum, said attacks targeting Christians have become a growing phenomenon. Abunassar attributed what he described as a quick police response to the fact that the attack on the nun was caught on video, and he said he felt “great anger on the system and great sadness because I feel that this will not end anytime soon.”
Abunassar said deterrence has been undermined in past cases, adding that arrests do not always occur and that when suspects are arrested they may be released quickly, or prosecutors may not recommend charges. He also said that in some cases indictments, when they happen, are “mild.”
The arrest also comes as Israel’s treatment of religious minorities faces scrutiny, including after police limited access for holiday worship to Muslims as well as Christians in recent weeks, extending up to Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Israel has also drawn international criticism following a separate incident in southern Lebanon involving a soldier photographed bludgeoning a statue of Jesus, which Israeli leaders said was disavowed and would bring reprimand.
In a social media post about the man arrested for attacking the nun, Israeli police said, “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.”