The warning follows the arrest of a Jewish man over a brutal attack that pushed and kicked a nun in Jerusalem this week.
Archbishop Atalla Hanna said on Facebook that “the attack on a nun in the city of Jerusalem comes amid increasing violations against Christian institutions in the city”.
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He said that “this reflects growing concerns about the future of the historic Christian presence in the Holy Land”.
In his post, which was accompanied by a video, he warned that such attacks “are no longer isolated incidents, but are part of a recurring pattern that threatens the Christian presence,” and called for international action to stop them.
On Thursday, Israeli police released a video showing what witnesses say was an attack by a Jewish man on a French nun in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
Video footage shows the man chasing the nun, forcefully pushing her to the ground, causing injury to her head, then walking away briefly and then coming back and kicking her as she lay on the ground, before bystanders intervened.
According to The Times of Israel, police said they have arrested a Jewish man suspected of attacking a nun in Jerusalem.
“The suspect, a 36-year-old male, was identified and later arrested by police,” police said in a statement on Wednesday. He viewed with “extreme seriousness” any violent acts motivated by potentially racist motives and directed toward members of the clergy.
Father Oliver Poquillon, director of the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, told the AFP news agency that the 48-year-old nun is a researcher at the institute and did not want to speak publicly.
Increasing attacks on Christians
Attacks on Christian communities in occupied East Jerusalem and Israel have increased in recent years, according to the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue, which tracks such incidents.
Churches in Jerusalem have repeatedly called on Israeli authorities to take decisive action to ban them.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry described the incident as a “shameful act” in a statement on Tuesday.
“In the city holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, we are committed to protecting all communities and holding accountable those responsible for the violence,” the ministry said.
Last month, a viral photo showing an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Jesus Christ with a hammer in southern Lebanon sparked outrage.
The Army said an investigation has been launched and “appropriate action will be taken against those involved as per the findings”.
Israel later said the soldier was jailed for 30 days, along with another soldier who was filming him. Six other soldiers have been called for questioning.
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