Israel has indicted a Jewish man for a violent assault on a Catholic nun near Jerusalem's Old City, marking the latest in a series of high-profile incidents targeting Christians and religious symbols in the region.
Details of the Indictment
The indictment, filed on Thursday, identifies the suspect as Yona Schreiber, a 36-year-old resident of the Israeli-occupied West Bank settlement of Peduel. The charges stem from an attack that occurred last week, which was captured on video and widely condemned by foreign and Christian leaders. Schreiber was arrested shortly after the incident, and Israel's attorney general has recommended his detention for the duration of the legal proceedings. Schreiber's lawyer declined to comment to an Associated Press journalist at the court.
According to the indictment, Schreiber targeted the woman because she was wearing a habit identifying her as a Catholic nun. He pushed her to the ground and kicked her while she was lying on the ground. He also assaulted a passerby who attempted to intervene. Schreiber faces charges of simple assault and assault motivated by religious hostility.
Reactions to the Attack
Olivier Poquillon, director of the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, identified the victim as a researcher at the school. In a post on X, he described the attack as an "act of sectarian violence." Religious groups have documented a rise in harassment and violence against Christian pilgrims, clergy, and Palestinian Christian residents, including assaults and spitting, often perpetrated by extremist ultra-Orthodox Jews.
The arrest comes amid heightened scrutiny of Israel's treatment of religious minorities. Weeks earlier, police restricted access to Jerusalem's holiest sites for holiday worship due to security concerns during the Iran war. Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa was prohibited from holding a private Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday, a first in centuries. Following public outcry, a compromise was reached for a limited Easter Mass.
Broader Context of Anti-Christian Incidents
Israel has faced international criticism over other incidents involving Christian symbols. A soldier photographed bludgeoning a fallen statue of Jesus with an ax in southern Lebanon was reprimanded, and local residents helped replace the statue. The Israeli military also investigated a soldier photographed shoving a cigarette into the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary, viewing the incident with "utmost severity." Additionally, concerns have been raised about Israeli soldiers bulldozing parts of a Catholic convent in southern Lebanon.
In response to these incidents, Israel's Foreign Ministry last month appointed former Ambassador George Deek as special envoy to the Christian world. Deek, Israel's first Arab Christian ambassador, condemned the soldier's actions with the Virgin Mary statue and stressed that Israel "is committed to preserving religious freedom and the dignity of all religions."
Perspectives on Religious Tolerance
Israel's founding declaration includes safeguarding freedom of religion and all holy places, and the country portrays itself as an oasis of religious tolerance in a volatile region. However, church authorities and monitoring groups have lamented a recent increase in anti-Christian sentiment and harassment, particularly in Jerusalem's Old City, a densely populated area with narrow alleyways housing holy sites for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Wadie Abunassar, coordinator of the Holy Land Christian Forum, described attacks targeting Christians as a growing phenomenon. He attributed the quick response to the nun's attack to the fact that it was caught on video, expressing "great anger on the system and great sadness, because I feel that this will not end anytime soon." He noted insufficient deterrence, stating that "many times in such cases there are no arrests and if there are arrests, sometimes after one or two days, (suspects) are released. In some cases, the police do not recommend the prosecution to file charges or to indict them. And in some cases, when there is indictment, the indictment is mild."
