‘Violence against innocent individuals, and especially against members of religious communities, has no place in our society.’

By Yuliya Talmazan

Footage of a man assaulting a French nun in Jerusalem has generated outcry and condemnation from Christian leaders who have raised concerns about a spate of targeted violence.

The CCTV video, released by Israeli police on Thursday, shows a man running up behind a nun wearing a white robe and shoving her to the ground.

The nun takes a big tumble and remains on the pavement, as the man starts walking away. While the nun is still down, he returns and kicks her, also challenging a bystander who appeared to try to intervene.

Police said the incident happened on Tuesday, and a suspect has been arrested on suspicion of assault motivated by racism.

Neither the suspect’s nor the victim’s names have been released, though police shared images of what appeared to be bruises on the victim’s face. The French consulate in Jerusalem said the victim was a nun from the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem.

The video was filmed near King David’s Tomb on the holy site of Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the city which has been home to three faiths — Christianity, Judaism and Islam — for centuries.

The French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem’s director, Father Olivier Poquillon, thanked everyone who came to the nun’s aid, saying in a post on X: “The scourge of hatred is a common challenge.”

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem’s public and governmental affairs adviser, Farid Jubran, told Catholic outlet Crux it was a “repulsive and barbaric hate crime committed against a defenseless nun.”

Israel’s police force said in a post on X that it “treats any attack on members of the clergy and religious communities with the utmost seriousness and applies a policy of zero tolerance to all acts of violence.”

It added: “In a city sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike, we remain committed to protecting all communities and ensuring those responsible for violence are held accountable.”

Wadie Abunassar, the coordinator of the Holy Land Christian Forum, called attacks targeting Christians a growing phenomenon. He attributed the quick response to the attack on the nun to the fact that it was caught on video.

He said he felt “great anger on the system and great sadness because I feel that this will not end anytime soon.” One of the problems, he said, was the deterrence against such violence.

“Many times in such cases there are no arrests and if there are arrests, sometimes after one or two days, (suspects) are released,” he added. “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.”

NBC News reached out to the Vatican for comment on the incident.

The Israeli foreign ministry condemned what it called a “despicable attack,” adding that “violence against innocent individuals, and especially against members of religious communities, has no place in our society.”

The attack comes after several recent incidents involving Christian communities in Israel and in neighboring Lebanon, where Israeli attacks are ongoing despite the US-brokered ceasefire.

Last month, two Israeli soldiers were removed from combat duty after a photo circulated online showing one of the soldiers taking what appeared to be an axe or sledgehammer to the face of a statue of Jesus Christ in the area of the Christian village of Debel, in southern Lebanon. The incident sparked outrage and was condemned by Israel’s leaders and military.

And in March, Israeli police prevented Christian faith leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass in another incident that caused international outrage and a swift public response from the Israeli government.

For years, Christian clergy who live and work in Jerusalem have reported being frequently spat on, harassed and even physically attacked by Israeli extremists.