Marking Christmas, Israeli Christians are 'thriving' while Middle Eastern brethren face persecution

While Christians are facing persecution and shrinking numbers throughout the Middle East, in Israel Christians are enjoying a different reality with growing numbers and high quality of life.

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The number of Christians in Israel grew by 1.4% in 2020 reaching 182,000 people with 84% saying they are satisfied with life in Israel, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.

Christian Israelis make up about 1.9% of the state's population, most of them speaking Arabic. Christians make up 7% of Israeli Arabs and 76.7% of Christians in the country are Arab.

The majority of Christians live in Nazareth (21,400), Haifa (16,500), Jerusalem (12,900), and Shefar'am (10,400), according to the CBS.

The recent storms that swept through the region, such as the Syrian war, Iraq upheaval, and the spread of Islamist terror have left the Christian community in Israel unscathed.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the Christian communities in Israel can be divided into four main categories: Chalcedonian-Orthodox (Eastern Orthodox such as the Greek and Russian denominations) Non-Chalcedonian Orthodox (Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, and Syrian) Roman Catholic, and Protestant. They are predominantly Arabic-speaking.

As their holiday season approaches, Christians in Israel are in a festive mood, according to Capt. (res.) Shadi Khalloul, head of the Israeli Christian Aramaic Association and spokesman of the Christian Israel Defense Forces Officers Forum.

He notes that the Jewish-run municipality of Haifa has allowed a large Christmas tree and decorations on the main roads.

"This proves the beautiful co-existence, safety, prosperity, and freedom people enjoy in the Jewish democratic State of Israel," said Khalloul, a former Knesset candidate who made news back in 2015 when he successfully led a campaign to have his child's state registry changed from Arab to Christian Aramean in the interior ministry.

"Under the Palestinian Authority and other Arab countries, Christians fear to show their holiday symbols in public and are not protected by the state. For example, many Christian families living in Iraq and Syria are in poverty, and cannot afford proper celebrations," he said. 

The Maronite Christian community has shrunk and become a weak minority even in Lebanon, according to Khalloul. And as the economic crisis in the country has grown, especially in the course of the last year following a massive explosion at the Beirut Port in August 2020 and the onset of the coronavirus, many have suffered.

Most Maronites live in Lebanon; their numbers decreased from around 29% of the population in 1932 to around 22% in 2008.

There are Maronite Christian communities in Israel with former members of the South Lebanon Army militia among them. The militia was allied with Israel during its invasion of Southern Lebanon. About 2,000 of the 10,000 Maronite Christians in Israel derive former militia fighters who fled to Israel when its forces withdrew from Southern Lebanon.

According to a journal article by Israeli Syria and Lebanon expert Eyal Zisser, Maronite ties to the Jewish community in Israel began as early as the 1930s and continued through independence in 1948. The alliance against the Muslim Arab world was built on the belief that Israel was to serve as the national home for Jews and Lebanon for Maronites.

"While Middle Eastern Christians are [for the most part] oppressed, in Israel, they are thriving," Khalloul said.

Israel recently announced that it would allow 500 Christian community members from the Gaza Strip to enter Israel and the West Bank to celebrate the holidays.

Gaza's community maintains around 1,000 Christians, and in the West Bank, a dwindling number remains as many have emigrated. According to the CIA Facebook, Christians and other small non-Muslim and non-Jewish religions make up 8 % of the West Bank population.

According to a 2018 NBC News report, the Christian population of Bethlehem had dropped from 80% in 1950 to around 12%.

However, Christian leaders sought to blame Israel for the decline in Christians in the disputed territories.

In an article in last weekend's Sunday Times, written jointly by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum, warned about a crisis of Christian survival "in the Holy Land." The church leaders blamed Christian's shrinking numbers in the disputed territories to the "growth of settler communities" and "travel restrictions brought about by the West Bank separation wall."

Alastair Kirk, of Christians United For Israel UK, disputed this portrayal and accused the church leaders of demonizing Israel.

"While there are serious issues to address in the context of Christians in the Holy Land, Christians living in Israel proper enjoy the same freedoms as other Israelis," Kirk said. "There are real concerns for those Christians living in the West Bank who, like so many, are caught in a conflict, but rather than examine the challenges faced by Christians in the West Bank in a manner that may bring the British public closer to understanding them, the archbishops ignore key facts, effectively demonizing Israel in the process.

"Across the globe in 2021, Christians have been killed simply because of their faith. Millions of Christians have been uprooted. Many have been imprisoned," Kirk continued. "Churches have been attacked or forced underground. It is somewhat disturbing that the archbishops have thought it timely to publicly use the occasion of Christmas, in which Bethlehem plays such an important role, to raise contentious issues that some will use to further vilify Israel."

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Bishara Shlayan, a Christian Israeli Arab from Nazareth, told JNS that Israel defends Christians and provides security.

The Palestinian Authority is very weak and cannot provide adequate security to Christians living in the West Bank, he said.

"The difference between Christians in Israel and the Arab world is obvious. We are citizens and have equal political rights, while the situation in Arab countries is not good," he said.

Shlayan, who has headed a party that failed to pass the electoral threshold in past elections, points out that "at least we have the right to run."

His political movement seeks to promote co-existence and local issues instead of fomenting conflict. He criticized the Arab parties in the Knesset, which focus on identifying with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

"Israeli Arabs politicians should represent us and not serve as Palestinian representatives," Shlayan said.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Diplomatic officials in Israel are optimistic that another Arab country will soon join the Abraham Accords and recognize Israel, Israel Hayom learned on Tuesday.

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In recent weeks, the Biden administration has amplified its efforts to rekindle momentum behind the Accords. Among those efforts, the administration is engaged in intensive talks with Sudan, which recognized Israel but still hasn't completed the normalization process, hasn't sent an official envoy to Israel, and hasn't opened an embassy in Israel. In addition to Sudan – one of four countries to join the Abraham Accords along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco – talks are also ongoing with another Arab country.

Following the Israel Hayom report, a senior US State Department official said, "We are actively working to expand the Abraham Accords. I don't intend to discuss any specific country, but we think there are tangible, economic and strategic advantages to all sides."

The official added: "The Biden administration strongly supports countries that normalize relations with Israel… We believe these accords have shown there are real advantages to dismantling old obstacles and enhancing cooperation, particularly in ways that promote economic development and ties between people."

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid was expected to meet in Washington on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The three were expected to focus on the current push to add additional Arab countries to the Abraham Accords.

On Tuesday, Lapid met with US Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and bipartisan leadership in Congress. The foreign minister also met with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. The two discussed the threat of a nuclear Iran.

Lapid's office said in a statement that the foreign minister "conveyed Israel's concerns to [Sullivan] about Iran's race toward nuclear capabilities and that Iran was on the verge of becoming a nuclear threshold state." Lapid also discussed with Sullivan the need for an alternative plan to a nuclear deal.

Next week, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will depart for Russia next week for his first official meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The diplomatic visit is slated to take place in the Russian city Sochi. Bennett and Putin are expected to discuss various diplomatic, security, and economic issues of interest to Israel and Russia, as well as regional issues – first and foremost, Iran's nuclear program.

Meanwhile, former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen on Tuesday said, "I think that Iran, to this day, is not even close to acquiring a nuclear weapon... due to longstanding efforts by some forces in the world."

Addressing the Jerusalem Post Conference, the former Israeli spymaster added that Iran's position is also weaker in that there is "less foreign support for what [it is] doing than in the past."

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Israeli police on Saturday arrested four Arab security guards suspected of assaulting police officers in the Arab town of Kfar Qasim the previous day.

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The detainees are part of the town's security forces, known as Al-Hirasa, which belong to the Islamic Movement, tasked by the municipality with monitoring city hall and patrolling surrounding areas.

On Friday morning, two Israeli police officers responded to a report of violent altercations at the city hall compound. As they attempted to enter the facility, they were accosted by Al-Hirasa members and the incident quickly turned violent.

From a video of the incident that was widely shared online, it appears that the officers were kicked and repeatedly punched in the face, after trying to use an electric taser against one of the guards, who appeared unfazed.

The Kafr Qasim municipality issued a statement denouncing the incident, saying it condemned any attack on police officers "doing their job."

The incident took place amid a spike in violent incidents in Israel's Arab sector.

According to Channel 13 News, MK Walid Taha of the coalition's Ra'am party had himself been involved in forming the Al-Hirasa group. Taha did not comment.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Saturday condemned "violence in Arab society" which he said had "reached an intolerable point."

He tweeted: "We will fight it with all our strength. I expect the Arab community, which has been asking the state to intervene, to give police officers full backing and support."

Likud MK Nir Barkat on Saturday night said: "The attack on the police in Kfar Qasim is very serious and indicates a loss of deterrence. I know up close the sacred work of the police from my tenure as mayor of Jerusalem and in general – and we must give them backing. Israel is a state of law and we must not agree to the existence of armed phalanxes in the Arab sector," Barkat said.

"It is inconceivable that law enforcement is afraid to enter Arab communities that operate like in the Wild West and which raise a hand against the security forces and police. Decisive action and the use of an iron hand that will restore law and order in all parts of the State of Israel, and will put an end to lawlessness and the loss of deterrence, is required."

Israel Police Commissioner Yaakov (Kobi) Shabtai said following the attack: "We will not ignore the incidents of violence against police officers, such as what occurred in Kfar Qasim. I have instructed the district and regional command to act with determination and force and to detain anyone who took part in the event, and we will place at their disposal any resources and forces they request."

Public Security Minister Omer Barlev described the private security guards from the Al-Hirasa group as a "local militia," adding that "the suspects who were arrested and anyone who thinks he can lift a hand against those in uniform will be brought to justice."

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MK Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra'am party, said Saturday he'd spoken to Shabtai to "express unequivocal condemnation" of the attack on officers and to wish those injured a speedy recovery. He "stressed the obligation to abide by the law" and called for increased cooperation between police and the Arab citizenry "so that we can defeat crime and burgeoning violence in Arab society."

In August, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett unveiled a plan to fight crime in Arab-Israeli towns and communities.

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The postponement of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's visit to Umm al-Fahm together with Ra'am chairman MK Mansour Abbas – which had been planned for Friday and which Abbas announced was due to "our request, out of respect for the memory of the shahids (martyrs) who fell in the clashes at al-Quds (Jerusalem) and al-Aqsa (the Temple Mount)" – sparked outrage among right-wing politicians who assailed the prime minister and Ra'am leader.

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Bennett and Abbas had been scheduled to visit a Clalit health fund vaccination clinic in the northern Arab Israeli town on Friday, amid the backdrop of relatively high morbidity rates in the Arab sector and the slow-rollout of the vaccination campaign in that community.

MK Itamar Ben-Gvir from the Religious Zionist Party addressed Abbas' message, saying: "Anyone who loves the country and reads the announcement issued by the terrorist supporter Mansour Abbas, cannot remain indifferent and claim that a man of peace is sitting in the government. It is also impossible to digest how the head of this government is a man who bows his head to terror. Bennett folded against terror and if he is so deferential to the honor of shahids, he should run to be the head of the Palestinian Authority."

The Likud party's official Twitter page posted a statement that said, "There is no low point that Bennett will not cross for the sake of his political survival, which depends on Mansour Abbas. To cancel a visit over the "memory of shahids" is a disgrace that will live in infamy."

MK Shlomo Karhi (Likud) also condemned the prime minister's decision on Twitter, saying: "Just a little bit more and Nakba Day will replace Independence Day. Bennett, these are your saints? Shame on you!"

The National Religious Party issued a separate statement, slamming Bennett's decision as "abasement."

"We warned against a complete ethical collapse in a government that includes the Islamic Movement, but Bennett's gesture toward the rioters of October 2000 goes beyond the pale of imagination. Disgraceful!" the statement said.

Also from the benches of the opposition, meanwhile, even MK Ahmad Tibi of the Joint Arab List took a jab at the prime minister and Abbas.

"Is organizing a trip to the United Nations easier than organizing a trip to Umm al-Fahm?" he asked on Twitter.

Contrary to the Ra'am party's stated reason for the cancellation of the visit, the Prime Minister's Office clarified that the decision stemmed from security considerations. "The postponement of the visit to the vaccination center in Umm al-Fahm was due to the likelihood of protests, and for security reasons. This is the only reason [for the postponement]," the PMO said.

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In light of the ongoing deluge of violent crime in the Arab sector, the Israel Police and Public Security Ministry are launching another operation to collect illegal firearms, Israel Hayom has learned. Within the framework of the operation, the authorities have promised citizens who turn in their weapons that they will not be charged with any crimes.

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The operation is expected to take place in late September. The Arab sector represents some 20% of Israel's population, yet 90% of the illegal firearms in the country are from that sector.

In the past, similar operations have been met with antagonism and resistance. In some of the Arab towns and villages, municipal leaders were either unaware of its existence or didn't know where the police had set up collecting stations. In the last such operation in late 2019, police collected 87 firearms, more than 270 grenades and other explosive devices, thousands of bullets of various calibers and more.

However, as stated, that collection operation was found to be flawed. An Abraham Initiatives report that examined 80% of the collection points found that 57% of them weren't working when monitors visited or were in a different location than originally declared.

The report, which focused on 40 of the 50 collection stations in Arab communities, also said that only 16 of the collection stations had functioned properly, and noted that other stations were either in the vicinity of other law enforcement facilities, outfitted with closed-circuit video cameras, or there were police vehicles nearby, which posed as a deterrent for potential participants due to anonymity concerns. At other stations, the security guards hired to safeguard the stations were from the same villages and towns, which also violated the principle of anonymity.

A police source told Israel Hayom that the success of the operation this time around depends mainly on cooperation from Arab leaders, Knesset members and public figures.

"This is another opportunity for the Arab public, the majority of which is law-abiding, to return weapons and firearms anonymously and without the threat of criminal charges. We need to put an end to the intolerable amount of weapons circulating in the Arab sector," the source said.

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Residents of the Kafr Qassim Arab town in central Israel woke up Thursday morning to find their vehicles had been vandalized overnight with racist graffiti.

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The words "expel or kill" and "we'll take our destiny into our own hands" were spray painted on the cars in Hebrew as well as stars of David.

The local police were alerted, and an investigation into the hate crime was launched immediately. Law enforcement is trying to identify the suspects via security cameras from the street and houses nearby, only the perpetrators had their faces covered.

The police are also looking into whether the crime took place as a result of the Ra'am Arab party under the leadership of Mansur Abbas crossing the four-seat electoral threshold and the possibility of it joining the coalition.

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Last year saw the number of racism complaints more than triple, a report published Wednesday by the Anti-Racism Coordinating Government Unit in the Justice Ministry revealed.

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The data showed that the number of complaints filed in 2020 stood at 1,450 – three times higher than in 2019 when 497 complaints were lodged.

The unit attributed the drastic rise in racist incidents to the health and social impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the Knesset election campaign that took place at the beginning of 2020.

The data further revealed that 27% of the complaints were filed by Ethiopian Israelis, another 27% by Arab Israelis, 19% by Haredim, and 7% by immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Some 25% of the complainants reported racist behavior in the public service, 19% complained of racial slurs, 15% of racism at the workplace, 11% reported racial stereotypes in advertising, and 9% complained of discrimination by law enforcement officials.

The unit handed over 41 complaints to the police for further investigation but only 22% of those were resolved. Some 11 complaints were dismissed, three were ruled as unwarrented, another three were transferred to the State Attorney's office, four are still being processed, and only one was being investigated. The police declined to comment about the rest of the complaints.

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The campaign, the brainchild of Likud MK Miki Zohar, takes critical aim at the Arab sector's political leaders in the Joint Arab List, alleging they only serve the interest of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and supporters of terror, rather than the interests of the Arab public in Israel – which is focused on regular issues and the economic situation in the sector.

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The Likud is in the midst of launching the campaign, which will be delivered via the Arab press and campaign billboards in Arab cities.

The campaign slogan says:  "Ahmad Tibi and the Joint List will scare you, the Likud will protect you."

The campaign will also tell the Arab public that "The Joint List hasn't done anything for you. The Likud has brought 18 police stations to Arab cities." Additionally, according to the campaign, the Likud has doubled the amount of Arab university students and allocated billions of shekels to the Arab sector.

Zohar told Israel Hayom: "We want to tell the Arab public that we aren't against them. Just the opposite, we're for them, we are working on their behalf as we are working for all of Israel."

Explaining the apparent dissonance between Netanyahu's attacks on the Joint Arab List and the election campaign, Zohar said, "The prime minister criticizes their leadership but from his perspective the Arab population just as important to us as everyone."

Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman, meanwhile, said on Thursday that he hasn't discounted the notion of joining a coalition that includes the Labor-Gesher-Meretz faction.

As expected, his comments sparked considerable ire from the right-wing camp. Consequently, officials in his party sought to mitigate the damage by claiming he was only referring to Labor chief Amir Peretz and Gesher leader Orly Levy-Abekasis.

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The Jewish fertility rate hit 3.05 children per woman in 2018, compared to 3.04 for Arab women. Only Israeli citizens were included in the survey.

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Israel's overall fertility rate in 2018 was 3.08 children per woman, down from 3.11 in 2017. The OECD average in 2017 was 1.65.

The CBS also reported that Israel began 2020 with 9,136,000 citizens, of which Jews accounted for 6,772,000 people (74%) and Arabs 1,916,000 million (21%).

In the past decade, Israel's population has grown by 17.8%, and is expected to top 10 million by the end of 2024.

In 2019, 177,000 babies were born in Israel, 34,000 people immigrated to the country, and 45,000 people died.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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In a Facebook post, Odeh condemned Barak for calling on Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan to temper the police's reaction to the escalating protests against Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit, but rejected the apology, saying Barak had "betrayed," Israeli Arabs.

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Earlier, Barak had written a Facebook post about arrests made during the weekly protest near Mendelblit's home in Petach Tikva – a weekly occurrence expressing frustration by some who believe the attorney general is dragging his feet in the investigations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Erdan, Petah Tikva is not Umm al-Hiran, civilians are allowed to protest," Barak wrote, referring to the Bedouin village that has been at the center of diplomatic controversy ahead of its planned demolition.

Commenting on Barak's apology for the killing of 12 Israeli Arabs and a Palestinian by security forces during clashes in 2000, which took place while Barak was prime minister and are widely considered at the trigger to the Second Intifada, Odeh wrote, "Barak, protesting is allowed in Umm al-Hiran as well, and Arab citizens are also allowed to protest.

"Nineteen years have passed since you were responsible for the killing of 13 Arab citizens because they took to the streets. Nineteen years since you betrayed the hundreds of thousands of Arabs who voted for you in the direct election against Benjamin Netanyahu. We learned the hard way that there are more important things than the politics of 'anyone but Bibi.'"

"We have already seen your cynical election apology to Mizrahi Jews," the Arab lawmaker continued. "A real show of responsibility would be stepping down from the public stage. In order to replace the right-wing government and fight for a future of the partnership, you must be left in the past."

Responding on Facebook, Barak wrote: "There is no need to help Netanyahu stoke hatred and Odeh knows this well. The misunderstanding of my wording has been clarified: 'In Umm Al-Hiran, the investigation was covered up. This must not happen again.' Exploiting a misunderstanding for the sake of provoking a fight between Jews and Arabs is not a partnership. It is a continuation of the despicable cooperation with Netanyahu."

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