A 19-year old Israeli student has been charged with “insulting religion” for spitting at a church in Jerusalem last year.

An indictment filed at Jerusalem’s Magistrates’ Court alleges that Avraham Entman was walking near the Prison of Christ Church in the Old City on the evening of 27 July 2025. The church is understood by many to be the place where Jesus was held captive prior to his crucifixion.

Entman was part of a tour of the City’s gates and it’s claimed that when he passed the church door, which is part of the Holy Sepulchre complex, he spat on its façade, “due to his hatred of Christians and Arabs.”

The indictment says Entman, who lives in an Israeli settlement “desecrated a place of worship with the intention of insulting the religion of others or knowing that this act constitutes an insult against the region itself.”

This type of crime can carry a prison sentence of up to three years and prosecutors say they will seek a custodial sentence if he’s found guilty.

There have been a series of attacks, including spitting and vandalism against churches, monasteries and clergy in Jerusalem’s Old City in recent months.