![Bishop Atallah Hanna with Palestinian men take part in a protest against satirical French weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo's cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, in the West bank city of Hebron on 22 January 2015. [Muhesen Amren-Apaimages]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/220115_MUH_00-8-scaled-e1576757336672.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1)
The Head of the Sebastia Diocese of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem Archbishop Atallah Hanna was reportedly hospitalised yesterday after being poisoned by chemical substances, according to Quds TV.
Reports said the Archbishop was rushed to hospital after an Israeli gas canister was fired into his church in Jerusalem. He is expected to make a full recovery.
https://twitter.com/QdsTvSat/status/1207406318690209793
READ: Israel places security ban on Christian children in Gaza
The outspoken Palestinian Christian leader has been a staunch critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and its acts of aggression in neighbouring Lebanon and Syria.
#Israel Tried to Assassinate Him
In a fresh #Israeli assassination attempt, Archbishop of Sebastia for Greek Orthodox in #Palestine Atallah Hanna was hospitalized today for suffering of a temporary paralysis after being poisoned by #Israel in his church in #Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/Koqtf0wqvw
— realSeifBitar (@BitarReal) December 19, 2019
Hanna was a notable attendee at last month’s First international Conference on Israeli Apartheid held at Istanbul. “The occupation in Jerusalem is treating us as if we are guests and foreigners in our own city. This is the embodiment of apartheid policies and practices against our people in Jerusalem specifically and in Palestine more generally,” he told MEMO in an exclusive interview.