Nun is attacked in streets of Jerusalem, sparking outcry

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/israel/nun-attacked-streets-jerusalem-sparking-outcry-rcna343052

Nun is attacked in streets of Jerusalem, sparking outcry
Israel's police force said it would take a "zero tolerance" approach to anti-Christian violence, but some Christians say targeted attacks are a growing phenomenon.
May 1, 2026, 12:47 PM CDT
By Yuliya Talmazan

Footage of a man assaulting a French nun in Jerusalem has generated outcry and condemnation from Christian leaders who have raised concerns about a spate of targeted violence.

The CCTV video, released by Israeli police on Thursday, shows a man running up behind a nun wearing a white robe and shoving her to the ground.

The nun takes a big tumble and remains on the pavement, as the man starts walking away. While the nun is still down, he returns and kicks her, also challenging a bystander who appeared to try to intervene.

Police said the incident happened on Tuesday, and a suspect has been arrested on suspicion of assault motivated by racism.

Neither the suspect’s nor the victim’s names have been released, though police shared images of what appeared to be bruises on the victim’s face. The French consulate in Jerusalem said the victim was a nun from the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem.

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/01/video-attack-french-nun-jerusalem

Attack on French nun in Jerusalem draws widespread condemnation
Israeli foreign ministry denounces ‘shameful act’ after video shows man pushing woman to ground and kicking her
Julian Borger in Jerusalem
Fri 1 May 2026 12.38 EDT

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The attack took place on Mount Zion, near the site revered by Jewish people as King David’s tomb, and the Cenacle, traditionally held by Christians to be the site of the last supper.

The director of the French School of Biblical and Archeological Research in Jerusalem, Father Olivier Poquillon, said the nun was a researcher at the school, and added that he expected a firm response from the authorities.

“This is not an isolated incident, but part of a troubling pattern of rising hostility toward the Christian community and its symbols,” the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said, noting the victim was a “cherished academic partner in uncovering this land’s heritage”.

The ruling coalition government has fostered the rise of Israeli religious nationalism. Palestinian Christian communities in the West Bank, some of the oldest in the world, have faced increasing harassment from Israeli settlers over the past few years. But the government has been embarrassed by a rise in hostility towards Christian clerics in Jerusalem and incidents that have gone viral online, at a time when Israel’s popularity in the west is in marked decline.

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