Key facts
- An Israeli court acquitted Yona Schreiber, a Jewish settler, of assaulting a Catholic nun in Jerusalem.
- The acquittal was based on the grounds of mental illness, with the court ruling Schreiber was in a psychotic state.
- Schreiber has been ordered to be committed to a psychiatric hospital for up to six years.
- The attack occurred in April in Jerusalem's Old City, resulting in the nun suffering bruising.
- The incident is part of a documented increase in harassment and attacks against Christians in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
An Israeli court has acquitted Yona Schreiber, a Jewish settler, of assaulting a Catholic nun in Jerusalem, ruling that he was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of the attack and is not criminally responsible. The Jerusalem Magistrates Court ordered Schreiber to be sent to a psychiatric hospital for up to six years.
The incident, which occurred in April in the Old City, was captured on CCTV and drew widespread condemnation. The nun, a researcher at Jerusalem’s French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, suffered bruising to her face and leg after being pushed and kicked. Her lawyer acknowledged the nun's difficult feelings over the assault.
This acquittal comes amid a documented rise in harassment and attacks against Christians in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. A report by the Rossing Centre for Education and Dialogue noted a "recent surge in overt animosity towards Christianity," attributing it to deepening polarization and ultra-nationalist trends. The report recorded 155 incidents in 2025, including physical assaults, attacks on church property, harassment, and vandalism.