OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
A video circulating online has documented a violent assault by a settler on a Christian nun in occupied Jerusalem, triggering widespread anger and condemnation.
The nun was injured in the attack, sustaining facial wounds after being assaulted by an extremist settler in the city.
In response, the French Consulate in Jerusalem strongly condemned the incident, calling for the perpetrator to be held accountable. In a statement posted on X, the consulate expressed its wishes for the nun’s speedy recovery and stressed the need to bring the attacker to justice.
The statement came in reaction to remarks by Olivier-Thomas Venard, director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School in Jerusalem, who denounced what he described as an “unprovoked assault.”
Speaking to Agence France-Presse, Venard said the 48-year-old nun, who works as a researcher at the French institution and prefers to remain anonymous, was attacked when an individual forcefully pushed her from behind into a rock, then proceeded to kick her while she was on the ground.
The footage of the assault quickly spread across social media, sparking widespread outrage and condemnation over the level of violence involved.
The incident comes amid a pattern of similar acts targeting religious figures and sites. In a recent case, two Israeli soldiers were withdrawn from service after destroying a statue of Jesus in a village in southern Lebanon, an act that also drew international condemnation.
A European diplomatic source in Jerusalem noted that the attack on the nun is part of a recurring pattern of hostility toward Christians, adding that clergy members are subjected to daily verbal abuse and harassment.
Hundreds of priests and nuns serve in churches and religious institutions across East Jerusalem, where church leaders have repeatedly called on Israeli authorities to take decisive action to halt such attacks.
The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs confirmed that it has contacted international church leaders to urge their governments to pressure for the protection of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
Data indicates that attacks on churches and clergy in the city have been ongoing since 1967, with a notable escalation in recent years, particularly between 2023 and 2025.
