A 36-year-old man has been arrested after violently assaulting a 48-year-old French nun on Tuesday afternoon near David's Tomb on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Israeli police placed him in custody, investigating all possible motives, including a nationalist one. The victim, lightly injured but shocked, was protected by an Israeli tourist.
The Catholic nun, a 48-year-old researcher at the École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem (Ebaf), was attacked near David's Tomb, adjacent to the Old City. Olivier Poquillon, Ebaf director, told AFP: «the sister [...] felt someone coming up behind her, and who threw her with all his strength onto a stone». The assailant then kicked her while she was down, but an Israeli tourist intervened, preventing worse.
Israeli police released a photo of the victim showing a purple bruise on her temple and arrest footage where an officer cites «assault causing injury motivated by a nationalist motive». The suspect, whose nationality was not disclosed, is in custody. Police plan to seek an extension from the court.
France's Consulate General in Jerusalem «firmly» condemned the assault and demanded justice. A European diplomatic source noted it fits a «context of anti-Christian acts that have become common», involving insults and spitting by Jewish extremists, but «here we reach another level». Hebrew University's Faculty of Humanities condemns a «worrying trend of growing hostility against the Christian community».
Israel's Foreign Ministry stated on X: «We strongly condemn this abject attack», reaffirming Israel's commitment to protecting freedom of religion for all faiths. Poquillon said Ebaf will closely follow the judicial process.
