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 

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"The headline is incredibly misleading. It completely reverses the point I was making. Rather than highlighting my explicit distinction between Zionist organizations and Jewish partners in justice, it collapses that distinction and leaves readers with the false impression that I accused British Jews collectively of complicity in Israel’s crimes. This is precisely the kind of framing that has made speaking about Palestine so difficult for so many years. It is not only manipulative; it fuels the false narrative that criticism of Israel is criticism of Jews." Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac - Jul 23, 2026

 When Headlines Distort the Truth

What The Telegraph Got Wrong About My Response

Munther Isaac

Jul 23, 2026

“Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac is Director of the Bethlehem of Institute for Peace and Justice and co-author of Kairos Palestine II.

I was recently approached by The Telegraph, a newspaper in the United Kingdom, to comment on the Church of England’s recent decision to receive and engage with Kairos Palestine II, among other Palestinian Christian documents. I was also asked to respond to the criticism directed at the Church by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. 

 

READ THE LETTER 

Now notice something important. I clearly distinguished between those promoting Zionism and the many Jewish voices working for justice. In fact, I explicitly called on churches to listen to and amplify those Jewish voices. That distinction was not incidental—it was central to my response.

So what did The Telegraph do with it? It published the following headline: “British Jews complicit in Israel crimes, say Palestinian Christians.”

That is simply not what I said. It is not what Kairos Palestine II says. It is not what Palestinian Christians are saying.

The headline is incredibly misleading. It completely reverses the point I was making. Rather than highlighting my explicit distinction between Zionist organizations and Jewish partners in justice, it collapses that distinction and leaves readers with the false impression that I accused British Jews collectively of complicity in Israel’s crimes.

This is precisely the kind of framing that has made speaking about Palestine so difficult for so many years. It is not only manipulative; it fuels the false narrative that criticism of Israel is criticism of Jews.

Our position has been clear and consistent. The problem is not Jews. The problem is not Judaism. The problem is support for oppression, occupation, apartheid, and now genocide—whether that support comes from Jews, Christians, Muslims, or anyone else.

Likewise, those standing for justice include Jews, Christians, Muslims, and people of no faith. As I said in my response, and as Kairos Palestine II explicitly affirms, we welcome and encourage partnership with Jewish voices committed to truth and justice.

Perhaps most troubling of all, this kind of reporting distracts attention from the real issue. Instead of engaging with the catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, or with the overwhelming evidence presented by international legal, human rights, and medical bodies, the conversation is redirected toward a manufactured controversy... READ MORE https://bipj.substack.com/p/when-headlines-distort-the-truth?r=62vmcy&triedRedirect=true

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In a political wasteland dominated by billionaires, war criminals and mega-corporations, the head of the Catholic church is a rare figure of moral leadership

Pope Leo presides over mass at Vatican City, 29 June 2026. Photograph: Maria Grazia Picciarella/Shutterstock

Simon Tisdall: "Leo is not just talk. He has a plan. Presiding over a “consistory” – a rare gathering of all the Catholic church’s cardinals – in Rome last weekend, he sought to tighten up the just-war theory of St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas that is frequently hijacked to legitimise so-called preventive wars of choice. Leo argues war is only morally justified for “proportional self-defence”, and only after all peaceful options are exhausted. “War is never worthy of humanity, and it is never blessed by God,” he told the cardinals. “War is not merely a conflict between states”, but originates in “a culture of power”. The world must “rebuild a culture of cooperation”.

This struggle for the soul of today’s newly adversarial world order has drawn in Islamic and Jewish religious leaders and thinkers as well as other Christian denominations. Sarah Mullally, the newly enthroned archbishop of Canterbury, defiantly urged “faithful resistance” to Israel’s expanding occupation when meeting Palestinian Christians in the West Bank last month. The international community had a “moral responsibility” to relieve profound suffering there and in Gaza, she wrote in a pastoral letter – and the time to act was now. Middle East conflicts were “symptomatic of a deeper political and spiritual crisis – an abandonment of international law and an increasing recurrence of military force”.

It’s not necessary to be a person of faith to value truth, justice and human decency" .... READ MORE   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/05/world-leaders-immorality-pope-leo-war-criminals-corporations-catholic-church

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The immorality of world leaders is contagious. Thank heavens for the pope

"God is not a real estate agent. The Holy Land is not a prize to be won, but a sanctuary for all God’s children to live in equality." Kairos II provides a definitive Christian perspective on the current reality in the Holy Land. It offers a framework for understanding this as a moral and spiritual crisis that demands a response from every person of faith.

Sabeel-Kairos: Seeking a just peace for Palestine and Kairos Palestine

"God is not a real estate agent. The Holy Land is not a prize to be won, but a sanctuary for all God’s children to live in equality."

Kairos II provides a definitive Christian perspective on the current reality in the Holy Land. It offers a framework for understanding this as a moral and spiritual crisis that demands a response from every person of faith.

What you can do:

Read & Reflect: Deepen your understanding by engaging with the full text.

https://www.kairospalestine.ps/.../Final_Kairos_document...

Study: Download the Kairos II Study Guide and lead a discussion group in your church or community-or join our online study series.

https://www.kairosresponse.org/kp2guide.html

Respond: Support the call for non-violent resistance, including BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) as a path toward a just peace.

 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1434684788699300&set=pb.100064733765064.-2207520000

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Do Not Let Palestinian Christians Become a Memory of the Past: The last entirely Christian village in the West Bank, Taybeh, east of Ramallah, has been enduring a wave of attacks and intimidation by Israeli settlers. Hostile acts include setting fire to agricultural lands, cars and the walls of an ancient church, hateful and threatening graffiti, livestock released into the village, not to mention the numerous military checkpoints at the entrances to the town.

 https://acninternational.org/taybeh-do-not-let-palestinian-christians-become-a-memory-of-the-past/

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Taybeh: Do Not Let Palestinian Christians Become a Memory of the Past

Palestine Interviews

March 12, 2026

The last entirely Christian village in the West Bank, Taybeh, east of Ramallah, has been enduring a wave of attacks and intimidation by Israeli settlers. Hostile acts include setting fire to agricultural lands, cars and the walls of an ancient church, hateful and threatening graffiti, livestock released into the village, not to mention the numerous military checkpoints at the entrances to the town.

On February 8, 2026, the Israeli government adopted an administrative decision strengthening the authority of its civil and military administration over land and real estate in the West Bank.

In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, the priest of the Latin parish, Father Bashar Fawadleh, speaks of “mounting pressure” on the 1,400 souls of the village, as well as “lack of protection.”

What was your reaction to the February 8, 2026 decision strengthening Israeli control in the West Bank?

The Israeli government’s security cabinet made a very serious decision regarding the West Bank, strengthening its direct control over this territory. This decision is considered one of the most dangerous since 1967 and many people see it as the beginning of an official annexation of the West Bank.

First, many administrative and civil responsibilities are being transferred to Israeli institutions, even in areas that were supposed to be under Palestinian management. The expansion of settlements is being encouraged. Settlers can buy more land and expand their outposts. This puts growing pressure on Palestinian towns and villages like ours. Israel is also taking full control of important religious sites, notably the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron [built over the Tomb of the Patriarchs]. The Palestinian authorities are losing their role there, and this affects the religious and cultural rights of the inhabitants. Finally, demolitions of homes and movement restrictions are increasing. Towns and villages are being isolated from one another.

What does this mean for a village like Taybeh?

This decision directly affects people’s daily lives, which are becoming more difficult. Families are losing their homes. Workers can no longer go to their jobs. Students struggle to get to school. Farmers can no longer access their lands.

For years, the inhabitants of Taybeh have suffered attacks from neighbouring settlers: destruction of agricultural land as recently as February, burning of property, and preventing farmers from accessing their olive trees, which are their main source of income. On 28 February, settlers entered land belonging to a family and stole a horse and its foal. Furthermore, the regional context – marked notably by the war in Gaza – continues to have profound repercussions on the West Bank. The general climate has become more fragile and tense, with an increase in military operations, traffic restrictions due to the installation of military gates at several entrances to the city, including a new one about two weeks ago. Israeli forces control when they are opened and closed, disrupting the daily lives of civilians.

With this new Israeli decision of February 2026, the pressure will increase even further. Settlement expansion threatens agricultural lands. The lack of protection leaves residents without legal support. The violence creates a climate of fear and insecurity.

All this has led many Christians in the Holy Land to consider emigration. What message do you have for them? How do you encourage those who remain?

Unfortunately, the idea of emigration is increasingly present in people’s minds. Several families have already left Taybeh – 16 between 2023 and 2025 – and others are seriously considering it, especially because of the insecurity and the lack of economic prospects.

The history of Taybeh speaks of empty houses, lost lands, broken communities, and the progressive disappearance of Christians from their historic land. As a priest and pastor, my message is first and foremost one of understanding and closeness: I understand the fear, and the responsibility of parents toward their children.

But I also want to remind them that the Christian presence in Taybeh is a mission and a living testimony: that of a faith rooted in this land where Christianity was born. Leaving the land is sometimes a human necessity, but staying is often an act of faith and hope. Hope does not deny the difficulties, but it reminds us that human dignity, justice, and peace remain possible. The Christians of the Holy Land want to continue to be artisans of dialogue, peace, and an evangelical presence in the heart of this wounded region.

However, to encourage those who remain, we need concrete support: creating jobs, accompanying young people, strengthening parish solidarity, and making every family feel that they are not alone.

What role do you hope for from the international community, the universal Church, and international Christian organizations?

As a priest on the ground, I expect the international community to visit us, document the incidents and to take clear action to guarantee the safety of civilians, access to agricultural lands and sources of income, the protection of places of worship, and an end to impunity.

I expect from the universal Church a strong and constant voice in favor of the Christians of the Holy Land, as well as pastoral and material support to help families stay on their land.

Finally, I expect from international Christian organizations, such as Aid to the Church in Need, essential support through concrete projects in the fields of education, housing, employment, and psychological and spiritual support.

Fr Bashar celebrating mass in Taybeh, the last fully Christian village in the West Bank

What message would you like to send to Christians around the world?

As the priest of Taybeh, I would like to say to Christians around the world that we need your solidarity. Taybeh is not just a village; it is a living sign of the Christian presence in the Holy Land.

Pray for us, but also support us through your actions, your commitment, and your testimony. Help us ensure that the Christians of this land remain a living community, rooted in faith, and not a mere memory of the past. Thank you again for your support and your prayers for the communities of the Holy Land.

 https://acninternational.org/taybeh-do-not-let-palestinian-christians-become-a-memory-of-the-past/

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"I fear Christians will be depopulated once and for all from the land where they have maintained continuous presence since the time of Jesus." - Faresa Abraham

1930s, Jerusalem, Palestine Church of All Nations, Gethsemane, photographed by the Palestinian Albina Brothers. The Church of All Nations was built by the Franciscans between 1919 and 1924 on the relics of an ancient Byzantine church next to the Garden of Gethsemane. ‘Gethsemane’ is derived from the Aramaic word for ‘olive press’ as the garden has many olive trees, eight of them thought to date back to the time of Jesus Christ.   Pals  @palsofnations

"I fear Christians will be depopulated once and for all from the land where they have maintained continuous presence since the time of Jesus." - Faresa Abraham

Fares Abraham

@faresabraham

@USAmbIsrael Huckabee told @TuckerCarlson that in Palestinian schools, we are taught from age five that "the greatest thing is to kill." 

 

Mr. Ambassador, I was one of those five-year-olds. 

 

Your demonization of Palestinians is a fictionalized hallucination that failed to teach me, and millions of other Palestinian youth, the hate you claim is our heritage.  Obviously, that education system prepped me well to excel in the U.S. and become a contributing, proud American citizen.

 

I am not claiming Palestinians are perfect. We have many internal failures and a desperate need for major reforms. But to cast an entire population, including Christians, as potential suicide bombers when asked if we can visit our own churches in Jerusalem is a level of political and unethical recklessness I never expected from a Christian Ambassador. 

 

Are you truly willing to continue confining 5.5 million people forever, including your own brothers and sisters in Christ, for the sins committed by a few? 

 

Even when you fail the Christians of Palestine, God will remain their vindicator no matter how many walls and checkpoints you and your friends continue to build. 

 

https://x.com/faresabraham/status/2025262352401076346 

 

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