Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a Christmas message from Jerusalem to portray Israel as a haven for Christians in the Middle East, drawing a sharp contrast between religious freedom in Israel and a recent arson attack on a Christmas display at a Catholic church in the Palestinian city of Jenin.
"From Jerusalem, I send warm greetings to our Christian friends around the world," Netanyahu said in a recorded statement released Wednesday.
He wished Christians a merry Christmas and a happy New Year and described Israel as "the only country in the Middle East where the Christian community is thriving."
Netanyahu said Israel is "the only country in the Middle East where Christians can practice their faith with full rights and in total freedom," adding that Christian pilgrims are welcome and deeply appreciated.
He said Christians in Israel can celebrate their traditions openly and without fear.
As an example, Netanyahu cited a long-standing municipal practice in Jerusalem, with the city distributing Christmas trees each year for roughly two decades.
He contrasted that with what he described as the recent attack in Jenin, where a Christmas tree and Nativity display were burned at Holy Redeemer Church.
The Palestinian Authority's civil defense service said the blaze was extinguished quickly and no injuries were reported.
Father Amer Jubran, the parish priest, condemned the act and said it did not represent the broader community in the West Bank.
Netanyahu said the episode underscored broader regional pressure facing Christian minorities.
While Israel's Christian population is growing, he said, Christian communities across much of the Middle East have been shrinking because of discrimination and oppression.
"This has happened in Iraq," Netanyahu said. "It's happened in Syria.
"It's happened in Lebanon. It's happened in Turkey.
"And it's happening in the Palestinian Authority."
Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics has reported gradual growth in the country's Christian population in recent years, driven largely by natural increase and immigration.
Christians make up a small but visible minority in Israel, with significant communities in Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Haifa.
Netanyahu also pointed to Bethlehem, revered by many Christians as the birthplace of Jesus, saying the city's Christian population fell from about 80% to roughly 20% after it came under Palestinian Authority control in the 1990s.
Demographers and church leaders have long cited a combination of economic hardship, political instability, and emigration as factors behind Bethlehem's changing religious makeup, though precise figures vary by source.
The prime minister framed his message as part of a broader call against religious persecution worldwide. He cited attacks by Muslim terrorists against Christians in Nigeria and said such violence "must end now."
The statement came as Christmas observances resumed across the Holy Land amid regional tensions.
In Jerusalem, Christian worshippers gathered at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for traditional services, while celebrations in parts of the West Bank and Gaza remained subdued.
"I'm sending Israel's Christmas blessings to our Christian friends around the world," Netanyahu said, closing the message.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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