From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
19-year old charged with insulting religion for spitting at Old City church
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
Avraham Entman, a 19-year old resident of the Yitzhar settlement, is indicted on a charge of insulting religion for spitting at a church in the Old City of Jerusalem.
According to the indictment filed at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, Entman was doing a walking tour of the Old City gates on July 27, 2025, when he passed by the Prison of Christ church and spat at the church door.
The indictment alleges that Entman spat at the church “due to his hatred of Christians and Arabs.”
Continues the indictment: “The defendant desecrated a place of worship with the intention of insulting the religion of others, or while knowing that they might regard the act as an insult to their religion.”
The maximum sentence for the crime of insulting religion in the Israeli penal code is three years in prison.
Israel has been struggling in recent years to stop a rash of spitting attacks on Christian clergy and vandalism of church property in the Old City.
The Times of Israel Community.