Suspect Charged With Assaulting Nun in Jerusalem

Israel’s State Attorney’s Office on May 7 charged a man with simple assault and assault motivated by religious hostility, following an attack on a Catholic nun near David’s Tomb last week.

The prosecution has asked Jerusalem’s Magistrate’s Court to detain the defendant, who was not named in the statement, until the end of the legal proceedings against him.

The State Attorney’s Office said that according to the indictment, “the defendant noticed the complainant wearing the clothes of a Christian nun, and because of this, he decided to attack her.”

The office continued that the defendant “ran towards her, pushed her hard, and caused her to fall to the ground. Then, while the complainant was lying on the ground, the defendant returned and kicked her hard.”

It added that a person at the scene who tried to stop him from continuing the attack was also assaulted, punched, and kicked by the defendant.

As a result of the assault, the nun suffered bruising to her face, with signs of trauma to her leg, the State Attorney’s office said.

The incident, which occurred on April 28, was caught on film and showed the nun being attacked in the area of David’s Tomb, a holy site outside of Zion’s Gate on the southern side of the Old City, which is in Israel-controlled east Jerusalem.

Israeli police said on April 29 that they had arrested a man on suspicion of a racially motivated assault.

“Upon receiving the report, David area police in the Jerusalem district launched extensive searches and targeted investigative operations, at the end of which the suspect, 36, was located and arrested,” the statement said.

Israel Police Condemn Attack

Israel Police on its English language X account shared a post condemning the attack.

“The Israel Police treats any attack on members of the clergy and religious communities with the utmost seriousness and applies a policy of zero tolerance to all acts of violence,” it said at the time of the arrest.

“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.”

The nun is a researcher at the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research (EBAF) in Jerusalem, which works with Hebrew University.

The Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem described EBAF as a “cherished academic partner” and condemned the assault on the woman they described as their colleague.

The incident was not isolated, the department said in an April 29 post on Facebook, but “part of a troubling pattern of rising hostility toward the Christian community and its symbols.” It added that the violence was a “direct assault” on the values of religious pluralism in Jerusalem.

Israel Calls for ‘Safeguarding Freedom of Religion’

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on an April 29 post on X that the state of Israel views the attack “with the utmost seriousness.”

“We strongly condemn this despicable attack. Violence against innocent individuals, and especially against members of religious communities, has no place in our society,” the ministry said.

“This shameful act stands in direct contradiction to the values of respect, coexistence, and religious freedom upon which Israel is founded and to which it remains deeply committed.”

The Foreign Ministry said that Israel “remains firmly committed to safeguarding freedom of religion and freedom of worship for all faiths.”