3 things to know about Israel's relationship with Christians

While Israel is home to one of the Middle East's few growing Christian populations, the country continues to face scrutiny from international campaigns and media personalities regarding its treatment of Christians. 

The Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy (JCAP) hosted a policy briefing on Thursday to discuss what it described as “one of the most consequential — and frequently misunderstood — issues affecting Israel's international standing.”

“Christian communities face mounting pressure across the region — from developments in Syria and Egypt to conditions under the Palestinian Authority, including Bethlehem and Beit Jala. Israel stands apart as a place where that population is not just protected, but growing,” a statement about the briefing reads.

Here are three things to know about Israel's relationship with Christians.

1. Israel’s response to acts of bigotry against Christians

JCAP Director of U.S. Relations Avi Zimmerman acknowledged that there have been incidents involving acts of bigotry against Christians but contends that the Israelis carrying out these types of incidents are a “fringe” group, usually teens. 

Zimmerman highlighted data from a report included in Thursday’s briefing titled "Israel's Relationship with Christians: Strategic Reality vs. International Narrative," which was shared with The Christian Post.

According to the data, there were 181 such incidents documented in Jerusalem in 2025 in which physical assaults fell 63% from 2024 as enforcement tightened.

“We do want to stress that there's a difference between institutionalized and systematic persecution of Christians and bigoted acts,” Zimmerman said. “Those are fundamentally different, and there is no comparison.”

Earlier this year, a photo of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier putting a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon went viral on social media. 

In a May 11 statement, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Ariella Mazor said that, following an investigation, "the soldier documented carrying out the act was sentenced to 21 days of military prison, and the soldier who filmed the incident was sentenced to 14 days of military prison."

Mazor added that the Israeli military "views the incident with great severity and respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities. Procedures regarding conduct around religious institutions and religious symbols are routinely reinforced to troops prior to entering the relevant areas."

Weeks earlier, two IDF soldiers were removed from their units and sentenced to military prison when one of them smashed a crucifix with a sledgehammer while another photographed the act in the southern Lebanese village of Debel.

Following an inquiry into the incident, the IDF determined that "the soldiers' conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and values," according to a statement.

2. Israel's restrictions on evangelism

Israeli law permits the sharing of religious beliefs, but there are restrictions that apply to all faith groups. For example, one cannot offer or promise material benefits or financial inducements to persuade someone to change their religion. Evangelizing to a minor under 18 without the consent of a parent is also prohibited. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has in the past condemned bills proposed by ultra-Orthodox factions in the Knesset seeking to criminalize evangelism amid concerns from American Evangelicals. 

Christians evangelizing to Jews has been a sensitive topic in Israel, as the Jewish Telegraphic Agency notes, prompting much debate among Christian leaders about whether Christian evangelism to Jews is appropriate in Jerusalem. 

In 2020, Israel’s Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council removed the U.S.-based Evangelical Christian station GOD TV from the Israeli cable television provider HOT, with a council leader telling media the action was taken because the network "appeals to Jews with Christian content" when it was supposed to be "targeting the Christian population."

The GOD TV station for Israel denied that it violated the terms. Although other ministry networks like Daystar and Middle East Television had no problems broadcasting in Israel, JTA notes that both networks broadcast in English and don't tout proselytizing. 

3. Arab Christian warns of 'brainwash,' criticizes Tucker Carlson

During the briefing, Elias Zarina, the Arab and minority affairs research associate at JCAP, criticized images that have emerged online showing Jesus holding the Palestinian flag and wearing a keffiyeh.

Zarina, born and raised in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, responded to American conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson, who has garnered attention in recent years for his negative commentary about Israel. Zarina stated that people like Carlson are using those images to share something that is “not the truth.” 

He said that such images are part of the “brainwash” that he and other Christian teens have faced. 

"It's a brainwash, totally brainwashed from a young age, starting from grade one up to grade 12,” he said. “It's a brainwash that we've faced from a young age at the educational institutions." 

When he was a teenager, Zarina said he was involved with the student movement of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), whose political and military wings have been deemed a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. 

“They are so liberal. So, for me, at that time, at that age, I was 19 years old. It was the best solution,” he said. 

In addition to Carlson, Avi Zimmerman noted that commentator Candace Owens’ references to Israel through her online platform are “largely negative.” 

“But it's not only largely negative, but it is a methodology of taking this Christian story, distorting and misrepresenting, and then sharing it en masse with very large audiences that, again, aren't apparently very discerning,” Zimmerman said.