^{The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court. Credit: David Barkan}

A 36-year-old man was arrested on April 29, 2026, for a violent assault on a French Catholic nun in Jerusalem. While his name has not been released, video footage shows the attacker wearing tzitzit, a garment worn by a Jewish men.

The assault occurred on Mount Zion, near the Cenacle (believed site of the Last Supper) and King David's Tomb, an area of high religious significance to both Christians and Jews.

Captured on CCTV, the suspect pushed the 48-year-old nun to the ground from behind and kicked her while she was down. The nun, a researcher at the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research (ÉBAF), sustained facial bruising.

The suspect's detention has been extended by the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court while the investigation continues. Under the Israeli Penal Code, if the assault causes actual bodily harm (the nun reportedly suffered head bruising), the standard penalty can be potentially reaching up to 10 years if the motive is hostility toward a religious group.

The assault sparked widespread condemnation from Israeli political and administrative authorities, who described the incident as a "shameful act". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement strongly denouncing the attack that "stands in direct contradiction to the values of respect, coexistence, and religious freedom upon which Israel is founded".

The ministry pledged a "firm policy against violence" and a commitment to bringing offenders to justice swiftly. In the meantime, Israel Police emphasized a "policy of zero tolerance" for violence against clergy and religious communities, asserting that they treat such incidents with the "utmost seriousness".

While the exact sentence is subject to the investigation and subsequent trial, the classification as a anti-Christian crime makes a significant prison term a strong possibility given the political pressure to curb these incidents. This was not an isolated event but part of a "troubling pattern" of rising hostility toward Christians (181 reported in 2025; 44 in early 2026).

Due to the nature of the unprovoked attack (pushing from behind and kicking while on the ground), there is speculation in local reports that the suspect might be evaluated for mental health issues. Even in this case, he runs the risk of being forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital, given the high level of harm that his criminal behavior has already had - with international repercussions - for the state of Israel and the Jewish world around the globe.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of the State of Israel declared in January 2026 that it will begin to defend Judeo-Christian Civilization that in the past centuries was established in Europe and Eurasia, and which extended to Africa, America, and many other places. Usually associated with values that have their origin in the Torah and that indicated that Jews and Christians had the city of Jerusalem as their common spiritual homeland, this Civilization was also based, above all, on the co-operation over centuries, between Jews and Christians. Netanyahu believes it is possible to renew and adapt the ancient Judeo-Christian Civilization to modernity, by the combination of will, between the Jewish state and the main international actors. Mentally retarded people and criminals are in no way needed by society, much less by the Civilization that we intend to build.