Jerusalem’s Medical Defense

When a French nun was knocked to the ground and kicked in the Old City of Jerusalem, the CCTV footage was clear enough to spark international indignation. The legal outcome, however, proved remarkably neat. The Jerusalem Magistrates Court has acquitted thirty-six-year-old Yona Schreiber of assault motivated by hostility toward a religious group, concluding that he acted under the influence of a severe psychotic episode. Instead of facing criminal penalization, Judge Ofir Tishler ordered Schreiber to be committed to a psychiatric facility for up to six years.

The prosecution readily accepted the district psychiatrist’s assessment that Schreiber was not substantively fit to stand trial during the April incident. It is a ruling that conveniently sidesteps a more uncomfortable conversation about religious hostility in the Holy Land. A brutal attack that left a researcher from the French Biblical and Archaeological School with facial and leg bruises after hitting her head on a stone block has thus been classified as an isolated medical calamity rather than a symptom of a broader social pathology.

Official diplomatic machinery predictably swung into action following the incident. The French Consulate in Jerusalem condemned the aggression, while the director of the victim’s institution labeled the assault an act of sectarian violence. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded with standard diplomatic assurances, describing the assault as a shameful act [which] stands in direct contradiction to the values of respect, coexistence, and religious freedom upon which Israel is founded and to which it remains deeply committed. The ministry added on social media that the state remains dedicated to ensuring all communities can practice their faith in safety.

Yet, those living and working in Jerusalem’s ancient quarters might ask where individual delusion ends and political environment begins. For years, Christian clergy and pilgrims in the Old City have reported an ongoing wave of hostility, ranging from aggressive spitting and verbal abuse targeting religious attire to property vandalism and bitter disputes over settler land takeovers. Church leaders frequently accuse Israeli authorities of allowing long-standing agreements regarding holy sites to erode.

Observations by independent monitors reinforce those concerns. A 2025 report by the Rossing Center, a Jerusalem-based organization focused on inter-faith relations, documented a surge in overt animosity toward Christians, attributing the trend to deepening political polarization and ultra-nationalist political movement. Categorizing a violent perpetrator as clinically insane clears the court docket, but it leaves the surrounding climate entirely unaddressed.

Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com