Israeli police arrest man after nun attacked in Jerusalem

A man has been arrested after a French nun was shoved to the floor and kicked in an apparently unprovoked attack in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem earlier this week.

Footage of the incident shows the woman in a grey habit being shoved from behind, causing her to hit her head on a stone block. Her attacker, who is wearing a Jewish kippah and tzitzit – ritual tassels - initially walks away but then returns to kick her as she lies on the ground.

The assault comes amid a recent rise in harassment of Christian clergy and pilgrims by Jewish extremists in Jerusalem's Old City.

The 36-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of racially motivated assault, but no charges have yet been brought.

Father Olivier Poquillon, director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School, where the nun is a researcher, wrote on X that she was the "victim of an unprovoked assault" in the late afternoon on Tuesday.

"We strongly condemn this act of sectarian violence and expect the authorities to act swiftly and decisively," he added.

Israeli police arrested the suspect on Wednesday and released a video of him being handcuffed by officers.

In a statement in English on social media, the police says they treat "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".

A photograph of the nun was published showing her bruised face.

The French Consulate in Jerusalem said it strongly condemned "the aggression".

Israel's Foreign Ministry then wrote on X: "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."

"Israel remains firmly committed to safeguarding freedom of religion and freedom of worship for all faiths, and to ensuring that Jerusalem remains a city where every community can live, pray, and practice its faith in safety and dignity," the ministry added.

While the violence of the attack on the nun is unusual, in the past few years in Jerusalem's Old City there have been regular cases of religious Jews spitting and acting aggressively towards those wearing Christian religious dress or symbols.

Church properties have been vandalised and there have also been bitter disputes caused by settler takeovers. Church leaders accuse Israel of trying to change the status quo – long-standing agreements on ownership and responsibilities - at their holy places.

A 2025 report by the Rossing Center, a Jerusalem-based organisation which aims to foster better inter-faith relations in the Holy Land, describes a "recent surge in overt animosity towards Christianity", putting this down to "a continued deepening of polarisation and ultra-nationalist political trends".

In March, there was an international outcry after Israeli police prevented the top Roman Catholic leader in Jerusalem from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a private Mass on Palm Sunday. The Latin Patriarchate said it was "the first time in centuries" that had happened.

The police said they acted out of safety concerns during the Iran war. However, restrictions at the time allowed small gatherings.

The assault on the nun took place as she walked past the Cenacle, located on Mount Zion near the walls of Jerusalem's Old City. The site is considered holy to Christians – who revere it as the site of Jesus's last Supper – and to Jews who see it as the tomb of the biblical King David.