Israel's enemies claim it is anti-Christian, Jewish rioters help them substantiate the claim | Dan Perry

One of the more damaging accusations against Israel presents the Jewish state as becoming increasingly hostile toward Christianity and Christians. The accusation has gained significant prominence in the American media, where an accumulation of reports on attacks against clergy, harassment of worshippers, restrictions around holy sites for Christianity, and violence against Christian communities has created a broader picture of a country becoming a hostile place for one of the religions born in the Holy Land.

The Washington Post recently dedicated an extensive article to attacks against Christians in Israel and the government's weak response, while other reports focused on Jews spitting on Christian clergy and pilgrims in Jerusalem, on the vandalism of Christian property, and on an attack that occurred in April against a Catholic nun near the Old City.

The case of the nun was particularly shocking: according to the indictment filed later, an Israeli Jewish man chased the 48-year-old French Catholic nun, pushed her to the ground, and kicked her after identifying her as a Christian nun. The Israel Police arrested the suspect, and the prosecution charged him with assault motivated by religious hostility.

Armenian Christians in Jerusalem have become another symbol of the phenomenon. Their community predates almost every modern political dispute around the city, and its continuous presence in Jerusalem has lasted about 1700 years. And yet, they suffer from recurring cases of spitting, intimidation, and abuse. Recently, it was reported that Israeli teenagers arrived at the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the Old City and asked if there were Christians inside because they wanted to spit on them.

So much stupidity, so much ignorance, so much wickedness. Such stories are immediately distributed around the world and provide ready-made material for anyone seeking to present Israel as a bad place for Christians.

The truth, of course, is that the Jewish extremists in Israel have no special interest in Christians specifically — rather, it is a conflict with Arabs in general, and often even hatred toward them, regardless of their religion. The IDF reported that in the first half of 2026, there were 660 cases of "nationalist crime" by Jews in the West Bank — an increase of 50 percent compared to the same period last year. The report, citing military sources, stated that six Palestinians were killed and 140 were injured in these attacks. Long-term arrests are rare, and no settler has been convicted in the death cases.

In Israel itself, the situation is tolerable. There are about 200,000 Christian citizens living in the country, most of them Arab Christians, and they have particularly high achievements in the field of education: their rate in higher education institutions in Israel is disproportionately high compared to their share of the population. Arab Christians serve as judges, diplomats, doctors, academics, and public servants, and their churches and institutions are a recognized part of public life in Israel. Moreover, the attack on the Catholic nun led to an arrest and the filing of an indictment, and not to tacit consent, as happens with the disgraces in the West Bank. And the authorities in Israel regularly declare their commitment to freedom of Christian worship and the protection of holy sites for Christianity.

And yet, it seems that radical Jewish fringes are determined to provide Israel's enemies with the images, anecdotes, and headlines needed. The latest damaging example comes from Taybeh, the last Palestinian village in the West Bank where the majority of the population is Christian — and also a fairly well-known brewery, the only one in the West Bank.

Taybeh has been suffering for months from tension and violence. In June, according to Palestinian firefighters and a local priest, Israeli settlers interfered with Palestinians who were trying to extinguish a large fire near the village. Residents complained about arson, vandalism, trespassing on private property, and intimidation. "The settlers can do whatever comes to their mind," said Father Jack Abed from the Greek Orthodox community in Taybeh. "And from time to time we have riots by young settlers who enter the village. They bring sheep with them to graze in our fields."

This week, the IDF responded by closing the village to Israelis, saying that the step was taken following violent attacks by Israelis in the area and was intended to protect local residents and maintain order.

The order illustrates two realities at the same time. The IDF is using military force to protect a Palestinian Christian community from Israeli Jewish extremists. This is a very different story from the sweeping claim that the State of Israel has launched a campaign against Christians. At the same time, the very need for such a step illustrates the extent of the problem that Israel has allowed to develop.

Recently, Jewish terrorists set fire to two mosques, burned cars and fields, and attacked Palestinian drivers. One mosque in Qusra was set on fire and covered with revenge graffiti; another mosque in Khur was set ablaze. Right in these days, the events are continuing and occupying the army.

This is a moral failure and also a disaster for national security, because every such event creates an additional security problem for the Israeli soldiers and police officers who are forced to deal with its consequences, and at the same time provides Hamas, Iran, and other enemies of Israel with effective propaganda.

The Christian dimension makes the strategic stupidity even more stunning. Israel relies on deep reservoirs of sympathy among Christians around the world, especially in the United States, where tens of millions of evangelical Christians have provided it with the most consistent political support. The Christian affinity for Israel goes far beyond evangelical politics and includes people who see the survival of ancient Christian communities and access to holy sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the Galilee as matters of deep spiritual importance.

Every video of an extremist spitting on a priest, every report of an Armenian Christian being harassed, and every attack on a Palestinian Christian village erode this reservoir of goodwill. These outcasts weaken Israel's security, stain Judaism, and turn potential friends of Israel into skeptics, and existing skeptics into enemies.

Therefore, the army's action in Taybeh is welcome — but it is also very far from enough. The elections in Israel on October 27 offer an opportunity for a different approach. If Netanyahu is ousted and a new government is formed, a comprehensive fight against Jewish terror in the West Bank must begin immediately. The task requires arrests, prosecution, and enforcement — and not rolling eyes after every new atrocity.