Jerusalem court acquits a man indicted in nun attack, orders psychiatric care

Jerusalem's Magistrate's Court has acquitted a man who was charged with attacking a Catholic nun, but ordered him to undergo psychiatric hospitalization for up to six years. The assault took place in April in Jerusalem's Old City, where the nun was walking in her habit. The incident, which shocked Israel and its Christian population, occurred amidst rising verbal abuse and incidents of spitting in the historic area, where Christians, Jews and Muslims frequently converge.

A Jewish man from a West Bank settlement was found to have committed the act, but was granted an insanity defense as a district psychiatrist declared he was psychotic at the time of the attack. The French Biblical and Archeological School of Jerusalem, where the nun is a researcher, expressed hope for the full implementation of psychiatric hospitalization to ensure public safety, the researcher's psychological recovery, and safety for all visitors regardless of their faith.

However, the school's director regretted the court's decision not to impose a criminal penalty, noting that the defendant's judgment was sufficient at the time to deliberately select the nun as his target among other individuals present.