Jerusalem court acquits settler who assaulted nun

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On Wednesday, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court acquitted Yona Schreiber, a Jewish settler from the West Bank settlement of Peduel, of assaulting a 48-year-old French Catholic nun. The court granted the acquittal on the grounds of mental illness following the April 2026 incident near the Cenacle on Mount Zion, where Schreiber pushed the nun to the ground and kicked her in the head. The victim, a researcher at Jerusalem’s French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, required medical treatment for injuries including a bruised face. Schreiber’s defense lawyer characterized the assault as an unfortunate incident while acknowledging the victim's difficult feelings regarding the attack.

Consequences

The judicial decision concludes the legal proceedings regarding the physical assault of a religious researcher at a site holy to both Christians and Jews. The ruling highlights ongoing tensions surrounding security and conduct at sensitive religious sites in occupied East Jerusalem.

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