Israeli court acquits Jewish settler who kicked Catholic nun in the head. The ruling comes amid growing attacks by extremist settlers against Christians in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank

The 48-year-old nun was attacked on 28 April 2026 in occupied East Jerusalem, leaving her face bruised (Handout via Israeli police)

Elis Gjevori

Published date: 26 August 2026

An Israeli court has acquitted Yona Schreiber, a Jewish settler from the occupied West Bank settlement of Peduel, over a violent assault on a French Catholic nun near Jerusalem’s Old City earlier this year.

The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court acquitted Schreiber on Wednesday on the grounds of "mental illness".

Following the ruling, Schreiber’s lawyer, Idan Gamliel, described the attack as an “unfortunate incident” and said the defence took “note” of the nun’s “difficult feelings” over the assault.

Schreiber attacked the 48-year-old nun in April outside the Cenacle on Mount Zion, a site regarded as holy by Christians and Jews.

The nun, a researcher at Jerusalem’s French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, required medical treatment after Schreiber pushed her to the ground and kicked her in the head.

The attack drew international condemnation and formed part of a growing pattern of attacks by Jewish extremists against Christians in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

In May, the French organisation L'Oeuvre d'Orient said Israeli troops demolished a convent belonging to the Salvatorian Sisters, a Greek Catholic religious order, in the village of Yaroun.

In April, an image showing an Israeli soldier using a jackhammer to smash a statue of Jesus on a cross in southern Lebanon went viral on social media.

A recent report by the Rossing Centre for Education and Dialogue documented a sharp rise in attacks on Christians, describing a “continued and expanding pattern of intimidation and aggression”.

It recorded 155 incidents in 2025, including 61 physical assaults, 52 attacks on church property, 28 cases of harassment and 14 instances of vandalised signage. The report said the figures represent only the “tip of the iceberg”. 

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-court-acquits-jewish-settler-who-kicked-catholic-nun-head 

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies here, there- and everywhere]

"Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions, I make a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm. May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld." Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV

@Pontifex

 

I am following with deep concern what is happening in the Middle East and in Iran during this tumultuous time. Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue.

 

Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions, I make a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm. May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld. And let us continue to pray for peace.

 

https://x.com/Pontifex/status/2028086271021613489  

 

On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV called on the nations involved in the intensifying Middle East conflict to acknowledge their moral duty to seek peace after reported airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Iran.

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies] 

 

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-03/pope-leo-xiv-angelus-appeal-peace-middle-east-iran.html 

Pope on Iran: Peace not built with mutual threats or death-dealing arms

Pope Leo XIV appeals for nations to recall their moral responsibility to seek peace, as violence escalates in the Middle East after the US and Israel carry out airstrikes on Iran.

 

By Devin Watkins

Speaking at the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV expressed “deep concern” over recent events in the Middle East and Iran.

“Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain, and death, but only through a reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue,” he said.

The Pope warned of an immense tragedy if violence escalates out of control.

“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions,” he said, “I address to the parties involved a heartfelt appeal to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss!”

Pope Leo prayed that nations may return to dialogue in order to seek peace.

“May diplomacy recover its role and may the good of peoples be promoted, peoples who long for peaceful coexistence founded on justice,” he said. “And let us continue to pray for peace.”

On Saturday, Israel and the United States began carrying out joint airstrikes on Tehran and several other Iranian cities.

Iran then responded with attacks on Israel and several Gulf countries which host American military bases.

Later, state-run news agencies announced the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for nearly 37 years.

Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City is named after Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. According to tradition, the Holy Family passed through Gaza during their flight into Egypt after the visit of the Magi, when Herod ordered the massacre of the innocents.

Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City is named after Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

chunguskitten

@chunguskitten

 

Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City is named after Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. 

 

According to tradition, the Holy Family passed through Gaza during their flight into Egypt after the visit of the Magi, when Herod ordered the massacre of the innocents.

 https://x.com/chunguskitten/status/2003855424299393137

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies]

The Flight into Egypt, stained glass in a choir chapel, Notre Dame de Paris cathedral, Paris, France- Fortunately, all the stained-glass windows survived the fire in April 2019. https://www.friendsofnotredamedeparis.org/the-stained-glass-of-notre-dame-de-paris/

  

Al-Damun الدامون, a Palestinian village near Acre, had about 100 Catholic residents. Its people were expelled in 1948 [by Israelis], and the church was erased [by Israelis]

 

Al-Damun الدامون, a Palestinian village near Acre, had about 100 Catholic residents. Its people were expelled in 1948, and the church was erased   https://x.com/PalCatholic/status/1988687056135246052

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES & QUOTES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies] 

The Incarnate Word priests and nuns in Holy Family Parish in Gaza have been awarded the Achille Silvestrini International Prize for Dialogue and Peace

The Incarnate Word priests and nuns in Holy Family Parish in Gaza have been awarded the Achille Silvestrini International Prize for Dialogue and Peace.

Cardinal Pizzaballa will receive the award on their behalf at a ceremony this month in Italy

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa is an Italian member of the Franciscan Order and a Roman Catholic cardinal who has been serving as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since 6 November 2020. After being received into the Franciscan Order in 1984, he spent his novitiate at the Franciscan Shrine of La Verna in Arezzo, Italy. In 1990, after having obtained a diploma in classical studies from the Archiepiscopal Seminary of Ferrara as well as a bachelor's degree in theology from the Pontifical University Antonianum and having been ordained a priest, he was called to service in the Holy Land. Wikipedia

Pope Leo XIV with young Palestinian Christians from the “Youth of Jesus’ Homeland” group.

Pope Leo XIV with young Palestinian Christians from the “Youth of Jesus’ Homeland” group. On October 1, 2025, Pope Leo XIV met with a group of 50 Palestinian youth from the "Youth of Jesus' Homeland Palestine"  (YJHP) during his general audience in St. Peter's Square. The group, on a pilgrimage to Italy, shared their message of peace amidst regional strife and hope rooted in the Gospel. – @vaticannewsit

Pope Leo XIV

@Pontifex

 “I express my deepest sympathy to the Palestinian people in Gaza, who continue to live in fear and survive in unacceptable conditions, forced—once again—from their lands.”

 

Pope Leo XIV

@Pontifex

Al Jazeera English

@AJEnglish

Pope Leo XIV has called on Israel to end the ‘terror, destruction and death’ in Gaza. In his weekly address, he backed church leaders in Jerusalem who condemned Israel’s order to evacuate Gaza City, warning it would endanger vulnerable civilians. 

 https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/1960776965142560856

 

https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2025/8/27/pope-urges-end-to-terror-destruction-and-death-in-gaza 

 AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or tweets) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies]   

"Those who remain in Gaza will be considered terrorists and terror supporters" Israeli Minister for Defence, Israel Kantz

Catholic Arena

@CatholicArena

 

'Those who remain in Gaza will be considered terrorists and terror supporters' Israeli Minister for Defence, Israel Kantz

 

Altar boys at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City today, some of the people Israel is labeling as "terrorists"

chunguskitten

@chunguskitten  The whole world is the Holy Grail.

There is no escape. Israel controls all the borders, the sea, and the Rafah crossing to Egypt. 

Before October 7 Gaza was the world’s largest open air prison but now it’s the world’s largest death camp. 

Day 725 in crucified Gaza- Holy Family Catholic Church

Exclusive Part 1: After the latest Israeli settler attacks, Christians in the Holy Land ask American Catholics for help: “Soldiers are usually with the settlers. They’re protecting the settlers, and they’re not doing anything” to protect those [the Palestinians] under attack. There’s nothing we can do. It’s a peaceful village, very quiet. I have a family tree of 600 years in Taybeh. I’m not gonna leave.”

Stephen Herreid on June 30, 2025  https://catholicvote.org/exclusive-israeli-settler-attacks-christians-holy-land-ask-american-catholics-for-help/

Adobe stock

Exclusive Part 1: After the latest Israeli settler attacks, Christians in the Holy Land ask American Catholics for help

Christians in the Holy Land expressed hope and quiet defiance last week after a string of internationally reported attacks by Israeli settlers, one of which left three Palestinians dead.

One of the villages reportedly attacked was Taybeh, about 10 miles north of Jerusalem. Taybeh is “100% Christian,” Nadim Khoury told CatholicVote via phone on Friday. A resident of Taybeh, Khoury is the founder of Taybeh Brewery, colloquially known as Taybeh Beer.

This week’s attack in his town was far from an isolated incident, according to Khoury. He fluently listed from memory a number of similar instances of violence and intimidation against local Christians by alleged Israeli settlers. 

“Last month, they went inside 14 homes and they broke the doors while people were sleeping,” he said. “Last harvest … they didn’t allow the people to go into their groves to harvest their olive oil.” Last week, he went on, settlers brought sheep to graze on the crops of hardworking locals, ruining their business. They “ate all the wheat and barley that the farmers were growing on the mountains of Taybeh,” Khoury said. 

Wednesday night, he went on, they broke into people’s homes to “kick them out,” and when the residents resisted, the attackers “burned the homes.”

Footage of some of the violence was widespread on social media this week.

Asked about Israeli soldiers arriving to police the violence, Khoury expressed a sentiment that several other local Christians who spoke with CatholicVote also volunteered: “Soldiers are usually with the settlers.” 

“They’re protecting the settlers, and they’re not doing anything” to protect those under attack, he explained. “There’s nothing we can do. It’s a peaceful village, very quiet. I have a family tree of 600 years in Taybeh. I’m not gonna leave.”

Asked what his hopes are for the future, Khoury answered simply: “Nothing is left for us except hopes. We pray so hard for peace and prosperity in this area. We have deep roots in this area. We cannot give it up. We must keep fighting for it.” 

Khoury’s friend and pastor, Father Bashar Fawadleh, spoke along similar lines. In a phone call with CatholicVote Friday, Father Fawadleh expanded on his parishioner’s allusion to settlers aiming to get locals to leave their hometowns.

The priest said he knew of “more than 140 families” who have left their cities in the West Bank. “In Taybeh we are also bleeding from emigration,” he said, with 10 families having left since October 7, 2023. 

“We have to stop this bleeding,” he said, and asked that CatholicVote spread the word to American Catholics that “we need support.”  What is needed, he said, is the creation of good jobs, and — ultimately — a peaceful end to the violence and intimidation.

Father Fawadleh expressed gratitude to American Catholics who stand in solidarity with the Christians of the Holy Land. But the hope he encourages in his flock, he said, “is very deep for our side – because it’s built on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the now-empty tomb in Jerusalem.”

“We are still awaiting the third day,” he went on, “to have the new life, to have liberty and freedom for our society, our country, and our population. And we hope that one day we have justice, and from justice we can have the fruit of justice, [which] is peace.”

The pastor is confident, however, that Christians are not alone in that hope. 

“That is the dream that we are all dreaming here in the Holy Land,” he said, both “the Jews and the Palestinians. We are all dreaming that we can live together without any problems, without any occupation, without any killing, so that we can all live together in this very important and very holy place — the homeland of Jesus.”....   READ MORE    https://catholicvote.org/exclusive-israeli-settler-attacks-christians-holy-land-ask-american-catholics-for-help/

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies