Man who attacked nun on CCTV in Jerusalem acquitted on grounds of mental health

What the report says

A Jerusalem court has acquitted a Jewish man who was filmed attacking a French nun in the Old City, ruling that he was in a psychotic state at the time and therefore not criminally responsible. The court ordered Yona Schreiber, 36, to be committed to a psychiatric hospital for up to six years. The assault took place in April in occupied East Jerusalem and was caught on CCTV, showing him pushing the nun over and kicking her from behind.

According to the court and the psychiatrist’s report cited in the case, Schreiber was not fit to stand trial because of his mental health condition. Prosecutors accepted that assessment and sought both acquittal and hospital treatment. The nun suffered bruising to her face and leg after hitting her head on a stone block.

The case drew broad condemnation at the time and added to concern over harassment of Christian clergy and pilgrims in Jerusalem’s Old City. The French Consulate in Jerusalem and the director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School both denounced the attack. Israel’s foreign ministry also criticized it, saying it conflicted with the country’s stated commitment to religious freedom and coexistence.

More broadly, the BBC report places the incident amid tension over relations between some Jewish extremists and Christian communities in the Old City. That background includes complaints of spitting, vandalism and disputes over church property, though the rare physical assault on the nun stood out because of the video evidence and the public reaction.