An Israeli court has acquitted a Jewish settler who assaulted a French Catholic nun in illegally occupied East Jerusalem, citing mental illness as the reason for his release.
The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court cleared Yona Schreiber on Wednesday. Schreiber resides in Peduel, an Israeli settlement in the illegally occupied West Bank. The court ruled that Schreiber is not criminally liable due to his psychiatric state.
The attack occurred in April outside the Cenacle on Mount Zion, a location held sacred by both Christians and Jews. Schreiber approached the 48-year-old French nun, who works as a researcher at Jerusalem’s French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research.
He pushed her to the ground and kicked her in the head, causing injuries that required immediate medical treatment.
Following the court’s verdict, defence lawyer Idan Gamliel said the assault was an “unfortunate incident”. Gamliel stated that the defence took “note” of the victim’s “difficult feelings” regarding the physical assault.
The assault drew international criticism and fits into a broader pattern of hostility toward Christians in the region.
A report published by the Rossing Centre for Education and Dialogue detailed an increase in violence against Christian residents and properties. The organization documented 155 incidents in 2025 alone, comprising 61 physical assaults, 52 attacks on church property, 28 cases of verbal or personal harassment, and 14 instances where individuals vandalised church signs.
Researchers at the Rossing Centre warned that these official figures represent only a fraction of the actual occurrences.
