ByCORINNE BAUM, TZVI JASPER
Updated:

Israel Police officers in the Jerusalem district arrested a suspect whom officers believe attacked a nun on Wednesday. 

On Tuesday, police received reports of a nun being attacked at King David's Tomb in Jerusalem. A 36-year-old man was arrested in connection with the case and is being questioned for racist assault, the police said.  

"The Israel Police views seriously any manifestation of violence, especially racially motivated, directed at religious figures. The police will continue to act with a heavy hand and zero tolerance in order to preserve and maintain the proper and safe fabric of life for all ethnicities and religions in the city of Jerusalem," a police spokesperson said.
A nun was assaulted near King David's tomb on Tuesday April 28, 2026.
A nun was assaulted near King David's tomb on Tuesday April 28, 2026. (credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Israel's Christian relations issues

The arrest comes after several incidents of discrimination against Christians in Israel. Earlier this month,  a photo of an IDF soldier smashing a statue of Jesus in a village in southern Lebanon spread online, inviting widespread condemnation.

The soldier's division commander removed the soldier who destroyed the Christian religious symbol and the soldier who photographed it from combat and sentenced them to 30 days in prison.

On Palm Sunday, Israel Police clashed with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

Pizzaballa, accompanied by the official guardian of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Father Francesco Ielpo, was going to the church to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass when police stopped them and forced them to turn back, the Latin Patriarchate said.