Indictment Filed Against Settler After Assaulting Nun in Jerusalem

SadaNews - The Israeli occupation's public prosecutor submitted an indictment on Thursday to the Magistrate's Court in Jerusalem against Yona Schraiber (36) from the settlement of Fadueil, on charges of assaulting a Christian nun near the tomb of David in Jerusalem, along with a request to extend his detention until the conclusion of legal proceedings against him.

According to the indictment filed by the public prosecutor in the Jerusalem district, the accused noticed the nun while she was in the area and, motivated by religious motives, decided to attack her. He ran towards her and forcefully pushed her, causing her to fall to the ground, after which he kicked her while she lay on the ground.

The indictment also indicates that a person present at the scene attempted to intervene to stop the assault, but the accused assaulted him as well with punches and kicks.

The assault resulted in the nun sustaining bruises on her face and signs of injuries on her leg, according to the indictment.

The prosecutor has charged Schraiber with aggravated assault resulting in injury motivated by religious hatred, in addition to ordinary assault charges.

Warnings About the Escalation of Targeting Christian Sacred Sites

The Orthodox Church Council in Nazareth condemned in a statement issued on Friday the repeated assaults carried out by settlers, which it described as having reached a dangerous level of physical violence, following the assault on a nun from the Dominican Order in Jerusalem.

The council pointed out that what it termed "the turning a blind eye and complicity" by the Israeli government encourages these assaults and provides settlers with greater freedom to act, warning of their increased frequency in recent years against Palestinians in the interior, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.

The statement emphasized that the recent assault is part of a series of attacks targeting the Christian presence in the Holy Land, amid the lack of any deterrence from the Israeli police, which contributes, according to the statement, to the enhancement of a climate of intimidation and attempts to restrict and displace.

The council added that assaults on religious figures, nuns, monasteries, and churches in Jerusalem have become systematic, despite the documentation of some of them through media and social media platforms, yet no accountability measures have been taken against the assailants.

The council called on members of the Christian community to steadfastly remain in their land, as well as urging the Israeli authorities to take responsibility to stop these assaults, demanding the international community to pressure for an end to settler attacks on sacred sites and residents, amidst the ongoing escalation in the region.

Source: Arab48