A Jerusalem magistrates’ court acquitted a man accused of attacking a Catholic nun in the city’s Old City in April, accepting his insanity defence but ordering his commitment to psychiatric treatment for up to six years. The incident highlighted ongoing tensions in an area that is home to some of the most significant religious sites for Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

The attack on the nun, who was assaulted while wearing her habit, drew widespread attention across Israel and its Christian communities. Although verbal harassment and spitting at clergy have reportedly become more frequent in the densely populated historic area, the physical assault marked a notable escalation amid nearly three years of ongoing conflict in the region.

The court found sufficient evidence that the accused, a Jewish man from a settlement in the occupied West Bank, carried out the assault. However, the ruling rested on psychiatric evaluations that deemed him psychotic at the time of the attack, which qualified him for the insanity defense under Israeli law.

The victim is affiliated with the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem, where she is a researcher. The school’s director expressed hope that the court-ordered psychiatric hospitalisation will be fully implemented.

The case has drawn attention to the broader issue of religious harassment in Jerusalem. Yisca Harani, founder of the Religious Freedom Data Centre—an organisation monitoring incidents of harassment against Christians—pointed out that nearly all recent cases have involved Jewish religious nationalist attackers. Her organisation has documented a near tripling in such incidents in Jerusalem over the past four years, with a significant increase in the most recent quarter.

Harani also noted that even individuals with severe mental health issues can be influenced by the prevailing social and political environment, suggesting that broader societal factors may contribute to the hostility faced by Christian communities in the city.