Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has appointed George Deek as special envoy to the Christian world in a bid to strengthen ties with Christian communities, according to a government statement.
Deek, a veteran diplomat and former ambassador to Azerbaijan, is a member of Israel's Arab Christian community.
Saar said Israel attaches "great importance" to its relations with Christians worldwide.
The appointment comes after a pair of shocking incidents that strained relations with the Christian world.
Last month, Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The move sparked widespread criticism from global leaders and religious institutions over freedom of worship.
The decision was later reversed following international backlash, with Israeli officials allowing access to resume, but the episode highlighted growing tensions around religious access in Jerusalem's holy sites and Israeli blockage on Christians and Muslims.
And an Israeli soldier set off a global firestorm by smashing a statue of Jesus Christ in Lebanon.
Two soldiers have been sentenced to jail for 30 days after outrage over a video depicting a soldier using a jackhammer to smash the head of a statue of Jesus Christ in the town of Deir Siryan.
The desecration occurred despite the Israeli army’s insistence that it "has no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols."
Repeated attacks on Christians
There have been numerous reported incidents of damage, vandalism, and violence against Christian sites in Israel, the occupied West Bank, genocide-hit Gaza, and adjacent areas.
In many cases, Israeli military forces, illegal Jewish settlers, or extremist individuals have been identified as the perpetrators or otherwise involved.
In Gaza, Israel targeted churches, including strikes on the Church of Saint Porphyrius —one of the world’s oldest churches.
Israeli officials have in specific cases expressed regret and opened investigations.
In the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, the majority of such incidents have been attributed to Jewish extremist settlers or ultra-nationalist individuals, sometimes referred to as "price tag" attacks.
Israeli police have occasionally investigated or arrested perpetrators, but critics — including some Israeli officials and NGOs — point to low prosecution rates and a rising number of incidents overall.
Christian leaders in Jerusalem have documented an increase in harassment since 2023, including spitting on clergy and acts of vandalism.
The Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue, an interfaith organisation based in Jerusalem, recorded 89 incidents in 2023, 111 in 2024, and 155 in 2025.
These incidents primarily involved property damage, graffiti, verbal harassment, or physical aggression against Christians by Jewish extremists in the Old City.
