OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Religious Freedom Data Center reported on Wednesday a sharp rise in attacks and harassment targeting Palestinian Christians and Christian holy sites.
According to the center, more than 88 incidents have been documented since the beginning of 2026, including 63 cases during the second quarter alone, raising concerns that this year could surpass the 181 incidents recorded in 2025.
The documented violations include spitting, verbal abuse, vandalism of cemeteries, gravestones, statues, and crosses, as well as racist graffiti and the desecration of Christian religious sites. Most incidents were reported in Jerusalem’s Old City, Mount Zion, and the area surrounding the Armenian Patriarchate.
During a conference in Occupied Jerusalem where the report was presented, human rights advocates and lawyers criticized the response of Israeli police to complaints filed by Christians.
Uri Narov, head of the legal department at the Israeli Religious Action Center, said most cases are closed without meaningful action. He noted that 19 of the 25 complaints submitted by the center between 2012 and 2021 were dismissed for reasons including the inability to identify suspects or a determination that no offense had occurred.
Representatives of Catholic churches also detailed a series of attacks on church institutions and properties, including the destruction of stone crosses, damage to vehicles, and incidents involving stones, eggs, and rubbish being thrown into monasteries and Christian guesthouses.
One incident that drew international attention occurred in April, when a French nun working at the Dominican School of Biblical and Archaeological Studies in Occupied Jerusalem was assaulted. The attack was captured on security cameras.
In another recent case, a priest from the Latin Patriarchate was reportedly spat on and verbally abused by three religious Jewish youths near Damascus Gate in Occupied Jerusalem. According to the priest, police attempted to discourage him from filing an official complaint.
