Overview
- The 48-year-old researcher was attacked Tuesday near the Cenacle on Mount Zion, a site tied to the Last Supper, and suffered a visible head bruise.
- Police detained a 36-year-old suspect and questioned him on suspicion of a racially motivated assault, with a Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court hearing expected on extending his detention.
- Officers later released video showing a man shove the nun to the ground and kick her before bystanders intervened and the suspect was arrested.
- Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the assault as a violation of religious freedom, and the Latin Patriarchate called it a hate crime that requires firm deterrence.
- Hebrew University said the attack is not isolated, citing recent flashpoints including clergy blocked from the Holy Sepulchre before Easter, a soldier filmed smashing a Jesus statue in Lebanon, and a 2025 report counting 155 incidents against Christians.