JERUSALEM — Israeli police arrested a 36-year-old man on Tuesday on suspicion of a racially motivated attack after a French Catholic nun was pushed to the ground and kicked on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The assault took place near King David's Tomb and the Cenacle, and the suspect remained in custody after his arrest.

Video released by police shows a man running up behind the nun, forcefully shoving her to the ground and kicking her before a passerby intervenes. The footage showed the nun with bruises on her face and the attacker wearing tzitzit. The nun suffered a grazed face but was not seriously injured.

Israel's police force said on X: "We treat any attack on members of the clergy and religious communities with the utmost seriousness and apply a policy of zero tolerance to all acts of violence. In a city sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike, we remain committed to protecting all communities and ensuring those responsible for violence are held accountable." In a separate statement, the force said: "We will continue to act with a heavy hand and zero tolerance in order to preserve and maintain the proper and safe fabric of life for all ethnicities and religions in the city of Jerusalem."

The French consulate in Jerusalem condemned the attack and called for the perpetrator to be brought to justice. "France calls for the perpetrator of the aggression to be brought to justice for this act and for justice to be served," the consulate said on X.

Farid Jubran, public and governmental affairs adviser of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, described the assault as "a repulsive and barbaric hate crime committed against a defenseless nun."

The Religious Freedom Data Centre recorded 31 incidents of harassment of Christians in the first three months of this year, most of which involved spitting or defacing church property. The centre said its figures understate the extent of the problem because Orthodox congregations tend not to report incidents.

Last month, an Israeli soldier was filmed vandalizing a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon. The soldier and another soldier who filmed the act were jailed for 30 days.