Six suspects arrested after Jerusalem monastery attack amid surge in anti-Christian incidents

JERUSALEM (LifeSiteNews) — Police arrested six Jewish Israelis after they allegedly spat repeatedly at Jerusalem’s Armenian Orthodox St. James Monastery and threw stones toward an Armenian woman who filmed the incident, the latest in a series of attacks targeting Christians in the Holy Land.

On August 2, the six suspects attacked the entrance to St. James Monastery in Jerusalem’s Old City during the early hours of the day, at approximately 1 a.m. According to Israeli police and Armenian sources, the group spat repeatedly at the monastery entrance, threw stones at the compound, and targeted an Armenian woman who recorded the incident from her home by shouting insults and throwing stones toward her window. Five of the suspects are minors and one is an adult. Police said three were issued restraining orders prohibiting them from entering the Old City for 15 days.

According to Armenian journalist Kegham Balian, the suspects became aware that an Armenian woman was filming them from a nearby residence and began shouting, “Get back inside, you daughter of a whore!” Balian also reported that stones were thrown toward the woman’s window, and footage shows one suspect hurling rocks in her direction.

🚨BREAKING: On Sunday at around 1:00 a.m., six Jewish Israelis attacked the entrance to the Saint James Monastery in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem.

They took turns spitting at the monastery entrance. When they noticed an Armenian woman filming the incident from her home,… pic.twitter.com/kXHgO0JJDK

— Kegham Balian (@kbalian90) August 2, 2026

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The St. James Monastery is located in Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter and serves as the headquarters of the Armenian Church in the Holy Land, as well as the residence of Nourhan Manougian, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Israel Police said officers responded after receiving a report of the incident and launched a search with assistance from the city’s surveillance center. The six suspects were located and detained. In a statement, police added: “The Israel Police views all manifestations of violence and racism with the utmost severity and will continue to act decisively to locate those responsible, bring them to justice, and safeguard public safety.”

However, according to the Israeli press, three of the six suspects were barred from entering Jerusalem’s Old City for 15 days. The others were brought before the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, where investigators requested an extension of their detention. Police did not announce additional charges or penalties at the time of the statement, saying the investigation remains ongoing.

According to Balian, the Armenian Patriarchate filed a formal complaint following the incident.

Christians in Jerusalem and across Israel have experienced a marked rise in harassment and violence in the last year, according to the latest report by the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue. The study documents 155 incidents, including physical assaults, vandalism of church property, harassment, and defacement of Christian signs, with clergy being the most frequent targets.

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Spitting is described as the most common and openly practiced form of hostility, often occurring in public spaces of the Old City and sometimes in front of police or passersby.

Survey data also show that many Israeli Jews increasingly view Christianity as dangerous or idolatrous, with strong opposition to teaching Christian texts in schools. As a consequence, a growing number of local Christians – especially younger ones – are considering emigration, due to the hostile environment.