French Catholic nun assaulted in Jerusalem, video sparks outrage, Israeli police arrests the attacker

The Israeli police said they have arrested a 36-year-old man on grounds of racially-motivated assault. The police said it would “continue to act with a heavy hand and zero tolerance to preserve and maintain the proper and safe fabric of life for all ethnicities and religions in the city of Jerusalem,” The Guardian reported.

French Catholic nun assaulted in Jerusalem, video sparks outrage, Israeli police arrests the attacker pic.twitter.com/t3hYqp6V8B

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The nun, who was working as a researcher at the French Biblical and Archaeological School (EBAF), was left with a grazed face but was not seriously injured. “We strongly condemn this act of sectarian violence and expect the authorities to act swiftly and decisively,” said Father Olivier Poquillon, the director of EBAF.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem said, “This is not an isolated incident, but part of a troubling pattern of rising hostility toward the Christian community and its symbols.”

The incident took place on Mount Zion in East Jerusalem, near King David’s tomb, a site revered by Jewish people, and the Cenacle, widely regarded as the site of Jesus last supper with his disciples.

In recent months, Israel has drawn flak over reports of attacks on Christians. In April, amid Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah, visuals of an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) desecrating a statue of Jesus in a village in Southern Lebanon sparked global outrage. Two officers linked to the incident were removed from combat duty and jailed for 30 days.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “stunned and saddened” by the incident, while the military said that it went against its values.

The Religious Freedom Data Centre (RFDC) noted 31 incidents of harassment of Christians in the first three months of this year, The Guardian reported.