Meanwhile, a few more yeshiva students came by, and got into a heated argument with the priest over who had attacked whom, the priest said. A Foreign Ministry official, accompanied by an Israeli security guard, who was passing by, came to the aid of the priest, and summoned police.

The four haredi suspects subsequently scuffled with the security guard, who tried to detain them before police arrived. The four were subsequently placed under arrest and will be remanded in a Jerusalem court on Friday morning.

The priest was not hurt in the incident. The assault on the priest was condemned by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League, and, later, by Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski. "This kind of behavior is outrageous, inappropriate and goes against all Jewish teachings, said Laura Kam Issacharoff, the co-director of the ADL's Israel Office.

She added that such attacks are not as random as they seem, and that Jerusalem yeshiva students must be taught respect and tolerance of others. Later Thursday evening, Lupolianski called the attack a "despicable act" which is "likely to harm the delicate relations that exist in Jerusalem."

In a statement, he added that "the Jewish people, which was subject to centuries of persecution abroad, should be the first to show tolerance and moderation to others."

In October, a yeshiva student spat at a Sunday morning procession of Armenian clergymen in Jerusalem's Old City and then scuffled with a priest. He later apologized.