A nun was assaulted in occupied East Jerusalem earlier this week amid growing concern over Israeli attacks against Christians.
The 48-year-old, a researcher at Jerusalem’s French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, was attacked on Tuesday in front of the Cenacle, a site on Mount Zion regarded as holy by both Christians and Jews.
She received medical treatment for her injuries, with photographs circulating online showing bruising to her face where she was struck.
Father Olivier Poquillon, the director of the nun’s Dominican-run institute, told AFP that she “felt someone come up behind her and throw her with full force onto a rock,” adding that “while the sister was on the ground, the man began to kick her repeatedly.”
On X, Father Poquillon condemned the “gratuitous assault”, as did the French Consulate in Jerusalem. Both called for the attacker to be arrested.
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On Wednesday, Israeli police said they had arrested a 36-year-old suspect, but did not disclose his identity.
Channel 13 journalist Yossi Eli reported that the suspect was arrested only after the incident was widely reported in the media.
Police said they “treat any attack on members of the clergy and religious communities with the utmost seriousness and apply a policy of zero tolerance to all acts of violence”.
“We remain committed to protecting all communities and ensuring those responsible for violence are held accountable,” the statement added.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, saying it “stands in direct contradiction to the values of respect, coexistence and religious freedom upon which Israel is founded”.
It added that Israel “remains firmly committed to safeguarding freedom of religion and worship for all faiths”.
Pattern of anti-Christian assaults
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which is affiliated with the nun’s research centre, said the attack was “not an isolated incident, but part of a troubling pattern of rising hostility toward the Christian community and its symbols”.
“We view this violence as a direct assault on the fundamental values of Jerusalem – a city whose strength lies in its religious pluralism and its commitment to safe, open dialogue,” the university said.
The incident comes amid growing concern over restrictions and assaults affecting Christian communities in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem.
Last month, Israeli police blocked the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and other clergy from performing Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Following international criticism, access was later partially restored.
“The Holy Places, which should be spaces for prayer, are becoming battlegrounds about identity. Sacred texts are invoked to justify violence, occupation, and terrorism,” Pizzaballa said in a recent pastoral letter.
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“I believe this abuse of God’s name is the gravest sin of our time,” he added.
Earlier this month, an Israeli soldier was filmed smashing a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon, triggering widespread outrage. The Israeli army later removed the soldier involved from combat duty and sentenced them to 30 days.
In the West Bank, settlers have in recent weeks renewed attacks on the town of Taybeh, one of the few majority-Christian towns in the territory.
A report last month by the Rossing Centre for Education and Dialogue, a Jerusalem-based interfaith organisation, documented what it described as a “continued and expanding pattern of intimidation and aggression” against Christian communities – most visibly against clergy and church properties.”
It recorded 155 incidents in 2025, including 61 physical assaults, 52 attacks on church property, 28 harassment cases and 14 incidents of defaced signage.
The report said these cases likely represent only a fraction of overall incidents, describing them as the “tip of the iceberg”.
It added that harassment is occurring in a “sociopolitical climate increasingly intolerant of diversity and more assertive in exclusivist national-religious claims”, with Palestinian Christians particularly affected.
Separately, reports warn that Christian schools in Jerusalem face potential closure after Israel’s Education Ministry barred teachers holding Palestinian-issued teaching permits from working in Israel. More than 200 Christian teachers are reportedly at risk of losing their jobs.