On Christmas Eve, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a pointed reminder that in a region increasingly hostile to Christians, only one country stands as a beacon of religious freedom: Israel.

In a holiday message shared from Jerusalem, Netanyahu wished Christians around the world a Merry Christmas and highlighted a fact too often ignored by global media and Christian leaders alike—Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian community is not just surviving, but thriving.

“Here in the Holy Land, Israel, Christian pilgrims are embraced, traditions are celebrated openly, and the faithful live without fear,” Netanyahu said.

To all our Christian friends around the world – Merry Christmas! pic.twitter.com/SBxwN4Yo3P

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 24, 2025

The contrast with Israel’s neighbors couldn’t be starker. Just days ago, in the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Jenin, Islamists torched a Christmas tree outside a church. That’s not a one-off—Christian communities under Palestinian and broader Muslim rule are shrinking rapidly under pressure, intimidation, and outright violence.

Bethlehem, once 80% Christian when Israel held it after the 1967 war, is now just 20% Christian under Palestinian Authority control. Meanwhile, Israel’s Christian population has grown to over 184,000, according to the latest government figures.

Netanyahu reminded the world that Israel doesn’t just tolerate Christians—it protects them. And he warned against the global tide of persecution, pointing to the plight of Christians in Nigeria and elsewhere. “Persecution of Christians—or any religion—must not be tolerated,” he said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar echoed the message, expressing pride in Israel’s Christian communities and reaffirming the country’s commitment to protecting freedom of worship for all faiths.

So this Christmas, while activists spread “Christ in the rubble” narratives that rewrite the Gospel as anti-Israel propaganda, remember who’s actually defending the Christian faith in its homeland.

Israel is not the problem. Israel is the reason the Christian presence still exists here at all.

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