Most Israeli Christians are ignored when it comes to media coverage which primarily focuses on believers in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
Robert Nicholson, the editor-at-large of the US Christian magazine Providence writes: “More than 70% of Israel’s 188,000 Christians live in the north of the Jewish state, especially in Galilee.”
“The Christians of northern Israel are not marginal figures.”
“They play an outsized role in education, medicine, and business.”
MOST ISRAELI CHRISTIANS TREATED AS AN “AFTERTHOUGHT”
“They are overwhelmingly laypeople, yet media coverage fixates almost entirely on religious officials.”
“They are usually treated as an afterthought, stripped of agency and relevance.”
“Unmentioned in such accounts are Israeli Christians like Jacob Hanna, a leading stem-cell researcher; Hossam Haick, a pioneer in nano-sensor technology; and Johnny Srouji, who helped lead Apple’s research and development expansion in Israel.”
There’s no mention that these Christians are Israel’s most highly educated and most fully employed population per capita.
Also ignored are the the extensive efforts undertaken to protect and preserve Christian holy sites and the fact that the number of churches and chapels in the Holy Land has more than doubled since 1948.
CHRISTIAN WHO VOLUNTEERED TO SERVE WITH IDF
Robert Nicholson writes: “Consider the case of George, a young Christian from Haifa who volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) several months before October 7th.”
“That was despite Christians being exempt from military service by law with only small number choosing to enlist.”
“Enlistment has been rising steadily for years — a trend that accelerated sharply after October 7th.”
For two years, George fought alongside Jews and Muslims on the front lines of Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon.”
“GEORGE’S FAMILY IS PATRIOTIC AND INVESTED IN ISRAEL’S FUTURE”
“He wore the uniform of a Jewish state and a cross around his neck.
He shared foxholes with men of other faiths. He saw friends die.
His family endured immense strain as the war dragged on.”
“Yet George and his family are more patriotic, more rooted, and more invested in Israel’s future than ever.”
“This reality is hard to reconcile with the dominant narrative. So it is ignored.”
COVERAGE OF ISRAELI CHRISTIANS SUPERFICIAL
Nicholson adds that the same dynamic appears in discussions of Christianity’s decline in places like Nazareth, where the city’s shrinking Christian population is often blamed on the state.
He writes that more significant factors include long-standing Christian-Muslim tensions and rising crime — not government policy.
“Something similar is happening with recent incidents involving harassment of Christians in Jerusalem, including spitting by a small group of Jewish extremists.”
“These acts are real and reprehensible—I have seen a few with my own eye”
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CHRISTIANS LIVE FREE, SAFE AND PROSPEROUS LIVES
“But assessing the well-being of Christians in Israel based on the behaviour of a few provocateurs is analytically unserious.”
“It is akin to judging the condition of Muslims in the United States by the actions of a few white supremacists.
“The broader picture that most media outlets overlook includes tens of thousands of Christians who live free, safe, and prosperous lives.”
“Unlike their co-religionists elsewhere, these Christians can speak honestly about their society.”
“Yet their voices are virtually absent from the public debate.”
ISRAELI CHRISTIANS NEED TO BE HEARD
“This omission is especially glaring in the work of pundits like Tucker Carlson whose recent coverage conveys the appearance of careful journalism while excluding those Christians most integrated into Israeli civic life.”
“It is out of touch with lived reality.”
“Any serious assessment of Christian life in Israel must begin with that reality, not the comments of a few clerics and politicians.”
“The Christians of northern Israel are not abstractions. They are doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, and soldiers. “
“They are people like George. They do not need to be spoken for. They need to be heard.”
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