The video of the attack spread rapidly – and caused horror far beyond Israel.
For many Christians in the Holy Land, however, the scene was not an isolated incident, but an expression of a social and political climate that has changed dramatically. "The signs of brutalization meet us daily," wrote the Catholic priest and author Stephan Wahl, who has lived in Jerusalem for eight years, recently in a post for the weekly magazine "Christ in the Present."
"It's the contemptuous spit attacks on clergymen that are no longer a marginal phenomenon." What had been dismissed from the official side in the past often as behavior of individual "mentally confused" has normalized under the current right-wing religious government.
Spit on in broad daylight
In fact, Christian clergy and church representatives have been reporting assaults for years: priests are spit on, monasteries are smeared, churches are attacked, cemeteries are desecrated. Jerusalem is particularly affected. The abbot of the Dormitio Abbey, Nikodemus Schnabel, reported in recent years again and again of hostility.
"As soon as I visibly take to the streets in Jerusalem as a monk, I can count how many times I am mobbed," the 47-year-old Benedictine told Deutschlandfunk about his experiences. In the past, such attacks were rather hidden and happened in the dark. "Now I get spit on in broad daylight."
The perpetrators, according to Schnabel, are usually national religious Jewish extremists. Their motto is Israel to the Jews. Non-Jews out." The situation in Jerusalem in the Armenian Quarter, on Via Dolorosa and Mount Zion, where the Dormitio Abbey is located, is particularly tense. But the situation is now also catastrophic in Taybeh, the last living Christian village in the Palestinian territories.
According to Schnabel, massive hostilities by Jewish settlers occur again and again. "This starts with intimidation, then fires are set," the abbot recently told the "Verlagsgruppe Diocesan Press."
"The next thing is physical violence." In addition, the Christian farmers of militant settlers would often be prevented from reaching their olive groves. Out of fear, some Christian families would have already left the place.
From the point of view of many affected and experts, the current right-wing Israeli government is at least complicit in the development. We are witnessing a "complete de-tabooing" of Christian hatred, according to Schnabel.
After incidents such as the attack on the religious woman, the government did not react indignantly. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has never given a solidarity address for Christian victims of assault.
"The state would have to show clear edge, and I don't see that." Instead, Christian clergy and church officials on the ground report a climate co-created by the government, in which Jewish extremists felt increasingly encouraged.
A "notorious Christian hater" as a minister
In this context, the name of Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir falls again and again. Schnabel recently recalled that a few years ago, Ben-Gvir had appeared as a lawyer for Jewish extremists, who were blamed for the arson attack on the Dormitio Abbey-owned Tabgha am See Galezareth in 2015.
"This man who threw the most unflappable things to us in the courtroom to us monks is now Minister of National Security," said the Benedictine, who also describes Ben-Gvir as a "notorious Christian hater" based on the experiences in the court proceedings.
Stephan Wahl also sees Ben-Gvir as a political fire accelerator. The atmosphere is poisoned "by a policy of maximum provocation," according to the priest. By way of example, Wahl mentions a photo of the cake to the 50, which circulates on the Internet. Birthday of Ben-Gvir in early May.
The cake was decorated with a golden executioner's sling and the phrase "Sometimes dreams come true" – a reference to a recently passed law on the death penalty, which, according to general estimates, would in fact exclusively affect Palestinians. "When a minister celebrates death as a birthday wish, the moral brutalization of society is barely stopping."
The ongoing and continuing violence against Christians now leads to concerns about the fundamental survival of the Christian minority in the Holy Land. "This is about the creeping displacement of a community that has been part of this city for 2,000 years," Stephan Wahl said. The Christian minority in Israel is small. Around 190,000 Christians, most of them of Arab origin, currently live in the country – about two percent of the total population.
The Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion and View, Thomas Rachel, is also alarmed. "It is with great concern" that he looks at the situation of Christians in the Holy Land, says the CDU politician in a recent interview with katholisch.de.
"The attacks on Christians are increasing noticeably – such as attacks in Jerusalem as recently as the recent unbearable attack on a Catholic religious woman or violence by extremist settlers in the West Bank," Rachel said. This is unacceptable.
Religious Freedom Officer sees Israel in duty
Rachel sees the State of Israel as a duty to ensure the safety of all people. Asked if the federal government would have to put more pressure on the Netanyahu government on this issue, the member of the Bundestag replies: "As friends, you also openly address difficult issues." He himself also addressed the situation of Christians during talks with Israeli deputies and representatives of religious parties during a visit to Israel last year.
At the same time, Christian voices warn against pointing out the situation as a conflict between religions. Stephan Wahl explicitly referred in his article to Israeli initiatives such as "Tag Meir" or "Rabbis for Human Rights", which showed solidarity with Christians and publicly oppose hatred. After the attack on the religious in Jerusalem, these groups had reminded that "the conflict does not rage between religions, but between those who seek peace and the 'hooligans of religion'."
Schnabel also emphasizes again and again that he does not want to condemn Israeli society in a blanket manner. Israel and Palestine have "both a wonderful civil society." Many Jewish Israelis loathed violence against minorities. The problem is "the power-making politicians on both sides."
Frightened by creeping exodus of Christians
Nevertheless, the concern of many Christians is growing that their presence in the Holy Land could be pushed back further and further. In this context, Rachel points to the development in other countries in the region.
In Iraq or Syria, for example, the Christian population has already been severely pushed back. "This would also be a disaster for the Holy Land and must be prevented," the religious freedom officer said. Interreligious dialogue is crucial here.
Stephan Wahl, meanwhile, observes "with frightening the creeping exodus of Christians." Jerusalem is a mosaic of religions. "Yet a mosaic disintegrates when one side begins to systematically break out the other stones," he writes. If the Christian heritage is perceived only as a target, Jerusalem will lose "its face."
His warning is therefore addressed not only to Israel, but also to the international community, which should no longer look away. "He who thinks that Christianity can be spit out of the streets of Jerusalem without definitively destroying the soul of this city is greatly mistaken. A city that sacrifices its diversity will end up losing itself.