Inside the rising wave of anti-Christian violence in Jerusalem
Catholic worshipers take part in a Good Friday procession following Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem’s Old City, 29 March 2024
Alessandra Bajec reports in The New Arab on 14 May 2026:
Shocking footage of a French nun being assaulted in broad daylight in Jerusalem’s Old City at the end of April sparked widespread outrage among church figures, amid warnings of a surge in attacks by Israeli settlers and the military targeting Palestinian Christian communities.
In the video, an Israeli Jewish man can be seen pushing the Catholic nun to the ground and kicking her after she fell, causing facial bruising and head injuries. The vicar general of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem, Bishop William Shomali, called the violent aggression “extremely serious and despicable”.
The viral, disturbing episode is the latest in a growing pattern of hostility and intimidation affecting clergy, Christian institutions, and Palestinian Christians in occupied East Jerusalem.
It follows weeks of heightened tensions during Easter celebrations, including the 40-day closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre under the pretext of security during the US-Israel war on Iran, alongside checkpoints across the Old City and tighter restrictions on Christian access to holy sites for holiday worship.
Last month, several Christian pilgrims were reportedly beaten and arrested by Israeli forces during Holy Saturday celebrations, an event that draws thousands of Christians to Jerusalem’s Old City each year.