Harassment of Christians in Jerusalem, Israel, rises again, research group reports

A report from the Religious Freedom Data Center (RFDC) documented 83 attacks on Christians in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories during April to June 2026. According to that report, 68 of the incidents took place in Jerusalem.

The report places 46 incidents in the Old City, 13 in West Jerusalem, and nine on Mount Zion. Spitting was the most frequent form of harassment, with 47 incidents accounting for 56% of recorded harassment. The report also describes a violent assault on a nun on Mount Zion and verbal abuse directed at a monk in a store.

According to the same report, incidents rose sharply during Jerusalem Day and the Flag March. The RFDC also states that the situation in the Christian Quarter and Old City worsened significantly in early 2023, with a rise in harassment, and it emphasizes the need for continued documentation and awareness of these challenges.

A later RFDC report, covering the third quarter of 2026, documented 106 acts of harassment in 96 incidents reported to its hotline. Over 90% of these incidents occurred in Jerusalem, with more than half taking place on Armenian Patriarchate Street. The report gives different totals for the earlier quarters: 83 acts in 76 incidents in the second quarter, and 44 acts in 31 incidents in the first quarter of 2026. The two reports use different measures and periods, so their figures should be read in that light.

The RFDC attributes the rise in the third quarter partly to the holiday period, which included Selichot and Tishrei. Spitting accounted for nearly three-quarters of all harassment acts, and clergy reported often facing such treatment. According to the report, some perpetrators justified their actions as consistent with religious injunctions.

Clergy have felt compelled to avoid wearing religious clothing when leaving their institutions, and some have covered crosses with their shirts. Other incidents included verbal abuse, physical assault, throwing objects, and defacement of signage and vandalism. The protection of a nun on Mount Zion, a clergy member from harassment, and the wider Christian community in the Old City is a matter the report leaves for continued documentation (Psalm 82:3).