‘Assault on city’s fundamental values’: Attack on nun in Jerusalem sparks widespread condemnation

A 36-year-old man was arrested by Israel Police on Wednesday in connection with the case and is being questioned for racist assault.

The Tuesday attack on a nun near King David’s Tomb in Jerusalem was an assault on the city’s fundamental values, Hebrew University of Jerusalem said in a statement on Thursday morning, condemning the incident.

“This is not an isolated incident, but part of a troubling pattern of rising hostility toward the Christian community and its symbols,” the university said. “As scholars of history and culture, we view this violence as a direct assault on the fundamental values of Jerusalem, a city whose strength lies in its religious pluralism and its commitment to safe, open dialogue.”

Further, it noted that the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research (ÉBAF), where the nun is employed as a researcher, is a “cherished academic partner in uncovering this land’s heritage. An attack on its scholars is an attack on the global scientific community.”

The Foreign Ministry also slammed the incident in a post to X/Twitter on Wednesday, calling the incident a “shameful act [that] 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.”

“We extend our sincere sympathies to the nun, who was pushed to the ground and physically attacked, and we convey our solidarity with the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem.”

ÉBAF’s director, Olivier Poquillon, also condemned the attack in a Tuesday post to X/Twitter.

“We strongly condemn this act of sectarian violence and expect the authorities to act swiftly and firmly,” he wrote.

Israel Police arrest 36-year-old man

A 36-year-old man was arrested by Israel Police on Wednesday in connection with the case and is being questioned for racist assault.

“The Israel Police views seriously any manifestation of violence, especially racially motivated, directed at religious figures,” it said. “The police will continue to act with a heavy hand and zero tolerance in order to preserve and maintain the proper and safe fabric of life for all ethnicities and religions in the city of Jerusalem.”

The arrest comes after several incidents of discrimination against Christians in Israel. Earlier this month, a photo of an IDF soldier smashing a statue of Jesus in a village in southern Lebanon spread online, inviting widespread condemnation.

Corinne Baum and Tzvi Jasper contributed to this story.