Netanyahu cited Jerusalem as an example, stating that the city municipality “every year officially distributes Christmas trees,” a practice he said has been ongoing “for two decades.”
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has condemned the persecution of Christians and adherents of other religions across parts of the world, specifically calling out militant attacks against Christians in Nigeria, saying such violence “must end, and it must end now.”
Netanyahu made the remarks in his Christmas message delivered from Jerusalem, where he extended greetings to Christians globally and used the occasion to contrast what he described as religious freedom in Israel with persecution in other parts of the Middle East and beyond.
“From Jerusalem, I send warm greetings to our Christian friends around the world. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,” Netanyahu said, speaking from what he described as “the Holy Land, Israel, the only country in the Middle East where the Christian community is thriving.”
The Israeli leader claimed that Israel remains “the only country in the Middle East where Christians can practise their faith with full rights and in total freedom,” adding that Christian pilgrims are “embraced with open arms” and Christians are able to “celebrate proudly their traditions and openly do so without any fear.”
Netanyahu cited Jerusalem as an example, stating that the city municipality “every year officially distributes Christmas trees,” a practice he said has been ongoing “for two decades.”
He contrasted this with an incident he referenced in the occupied Palestinian territories, saying that “a few days ago, in the Palestinian town of Jenin, Palestinians burnt a Christmas tree in the Holy Redeemer Church.”
“That’s the difference,” Netanyahu said, asserting that Israel “stands up for Christians across the region, wherever they face widespread intimidation and persecution.”
He further claimed that while Israel’s Christian population is growing, Christian communities in many parts of the Middle East have been shrinking due to what he described as “systematic discrimination and oppression.”
“This has happened in Iraq, it’s happened in Syria, it’s happened in Lebanon, it’s happened in Turkey, and it’s happening in the Palestinian Authority,” Netanyahu said.
Referencing Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, Netanyahu said the city “used to have 80 percent Christian population,” adding, “That’s when we were there.”
He claimed that after control was handed to the Palestinian Authority, the Christian population “has since dwindled from 80 percent to 20 percent.”
In a direct reference to Nigeria, Netanyahu said, “The persecution of Christians or members of any religion cannot and must not be tolerated. And Muslim militant displacement and attacks against Christians in Nigeria, that too must end, and it must end now.”
He concluded the address by reiterating Israel’s support for Christians worldwide, saying, “I’m sending Israel’s Christmas blessings to our Christian friends around the world, and I ask you, know that Israel will always stand with you.”