Israeli police arrest man after nun attacked in Jerusalem

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".