As Resurrection Sunday approaches, Christians are not under attack by the Israeli government – that’s a lie spread by Israel’s enemies – here are the facts

“Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you" (Ephesians 6:16, Phillips translation).

A war of missiles – and a war of misinformation

As 10 million Israelis continue to face a relentless barrage of ballistic missile and suicide drone attacks from Iran and its terror proxies in Lebanon and Yemen, that’s not all we’re facing.

We’re also facing a relentless barrage of lies from Israel haters like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and others.

One of the ugliest lines of attack is that Christians are under attack by the Israeli government, that we’re suffering here in the Holy Land, that our numbers are steadily declining, and that Christians in places like Qatar are thriving by comparison.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

As the editors of ALL ISRAEL NEWS, all of whom are Israeli citizens and devoted followers of Jesus, we ask for your continued faithful prayers for the “peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6) and the physical protection of all Israelis.

At the same time, we want you to know the truth.

And we ask for your urgent and faithful prayers that the Lord would suit us up in what the Apostle Paul describes in a letter to the Church in Ephesus as God’s “full armor” and protect us from the “fiery arrows” and “burning missiles” of lies and spiritual warfare that are coming our way.

Claims vs. reality: Are the number of Christians in Israel declining?

Tucker Carlson, for example, continues to release one anti-Israel show after another to his 17 million followers on 𝕏.

Each of these shows is filled with lies, deception, and manipulative half-truths.

And we notice a particularly troubling trend: Tucker is sharpening his focus on attacking Christian support for Israel.

In some of his programs, Carlson has hosted guests who claim that Christians in the Holy Land are treated terribly.

Even though some of these guests have been Palestinian Christians, they have not addressed any of the very real and serious concerns of Christians within Palestinian society.

Instead, they have alleged that Christians are mistreated in Israel and that Jews hate Christians. 

As a result, many are becoming confused about this situation, not sure what’s true and what isn’t.

To provide a more accurate picture of what life is like for Christians of various denominations and backgrounds in Israel, ALL ISRAEL NEWS is talking with a wide range of believers in Jesus throughout Israel. 

While the results of these conversations will be presented in future articles, it’s important to address now several of the gross misconceptions about the Israeli government’s relations with Christians.

In one recent program, Tucker posed this question: “How are Christians in the Holy Land doing? Are they thriving or are they suffering?” 

His answer was a series of claims that make it sound as if the Israeli government targets Christians in Israel in order to reduce the Christian population in the Holy Land. 

“The truth has become pretty obvious over the past couple of years, which is – in Israel, they are not thriving,” Tucker claimed.

“Their numbers are not growing. They are shrinking. And there's a huge debate about why. But the bottom line is there are fewer Christians now, far fewer, in absolute numbers and particularly as a percentage of population than there were when the state was founded in 1948.” 

These statements, along with others made by Tucker and his guests, paint a dire picture of the situation for Christians in Israel.

Yet, noticeably, they’re not backing up such pernicious allegations with facts. 

The truth: Israel’s Christian population is steadily increasing.

While the Christian population in Israel is not growing as fast as the Jewish or Muslim population, that is largely due to the difference in the average number of children that Christian families have, compared to the average number of children that Jewish and Muslim families have. 

Throughout the Arab/Muslim world, we’re witnessing the dramatic decline of Christian communities.

The fact that Israel’s Christian population continues to grow reflects the relative freedom and safety they experience there compared to many neighboring countries.

In fact, Israel is the only country in the Middle East in which the number of Christians is growing each year, despite the lure of emigration to the West. 

In one show, Tucker claimed that “there are fewer Christians now, far fewer, in absolute numbers and particularly as a percentage of population than there were when the state was founded in 1948.” 

The data – and the ignored collapse elsewhere

Yet according to data prepared by the British Mandate Government in 1946, there were 145,063 Christians living in Mandatory Palestine.

This includes the entire territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

Previous census and survey data show a steady growth in the number of Christians during the Mandatory Period, largely a result of natural population growth, while during that same time, Jewish and Muslim populations increased at a higher rate due to immigration and higher childbirth rates. 

The most recent data issued by the Israel Population Authority places the number of Christians living only within the internationally recognized Israeli borders from 1967 (not including the population of Judea and Samaria, widely known as the “West Bank”) at 184,000. 

This number does not include an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 Messianic Jews who are Israeli citizens, a number that has risen dramatically from only 23 known Jewish followers of Jesus back in 1948.

Nor does it include thousands of foreign national Christians who live, study, and work in Israel.

All told, there are more than 200,000 followers of Jesus in Israel.

Despite the large exodus of Arab Christian families before and during the conflict in 1947-1948, and the later division of the land, the number of Christians is still higher than it was in 1948. 

These are all easily obtained numbers.

Tucker is flat-out lying when he claims Israeli Christians are suffering and that their numbers are dwindling.

What’s more, Tucker is also failing to admit, let alone address, the collapse of the Christian population in the Palestinian territories.

The greatest migration of Christian Arabs from the Palestinian territories since 1948 came after Israel signed the Oslo Accords, handing the Palestinian Authority (PA) control over the majority of the Arab cities there.

In Bethlehem, for example, the very birthplace of Jesus, the Christian population has plummeted since the governance of the city shifted from Israeli control to that of the PA.

Indeed, the number of Christians living in Bethlehem has dropped by 86%.

With a staff team of dedicated Jesus followers, ALL ISRAEL NEWS is committed to accurately reporting on the situation in Israel and the Middle East.

Religious freedom in Israel vs the Middle East

As a result, we do not claim there are no challenges for Christians in Israel.

Nor do we deny that there have been acts of discrimination, harassment, and sometimes even isolated incidents of violence.

When they happen, we have reported on such incidents in the past and will continue to do so.

However, as even one of Tucker’s guests, Archbishop Hosam Naoum, mentioned in one episode, most incidents that occur involve small groups of individuals harassing Christians. 

These include incidents involving extremists – usually young people – occasionally spitting at Christian clergy members in the Old City of Jerusalem or spraying graffiti on churches and other Christian properties. 

Despite these incidents, many of the Arab Christians we have spoken to feel comfortable living in Israel, often emphasizing that they have more rights in Israel than they would in other Middle Eastern countries.

In fact, several Arab Christians have described their disagreements with the Israeli government and with Israeli Jews as political differences. 

What the Israeli government does not do is place restrictions on Christian practices, worship, or community activities.

Yes, there are some anti-missionary groups in Israel that oppose any attempt to do outreach or evangelism among the Jewish population.

Despite this, evangelism in Israel remains legal.

So does the right to change one’s religion. 

Some anti-missionary groups have targeted congregations of Jewish believers in Jesus, harassing them and even raising legal challenges to attempts to purchase or rent property for use as worship facilities.

However, this treatment, while unpleasant, is not being carried out by the Israeli government.

Nor is there any official attempt to limit or restrict the freedoms of believers in the Land of Israel.

To the contrary, the Israeli government has a consistent track record of protecting religious freedom here and working to encourage Christians from all over the world to come and visit and walk where Jesus and the apostles walked.

That is not the situation for Christians throughout the Middle East.

Commentators like Tucker often fail to investigate the most fundamental freedom of religion for the Western world: the freedom to change one’s beliefs and practice one’s faith accordingly.

In Israel, citizens are allowed to change their religion and have that change officially registered in government documentation, despite the bureaucratic hassle it can sometimes take to do so.

In the territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority, religious conversion is only legal for people wanting to become Muslim.

It is forbidden for Muslims to become Christians and change their official identity.

The same is true for most Muslim-majority nations.

Indeed, Muslims who convert to Christianity in most Arab countries face severe persecution, arrest, imprisonment, or even execution.

Are Muslims who change their beliefs able to officially become Christians in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, or Qatar? 

Unfortunately, no.

What’s more, there have been hundreds of reported cases of churches being attacked throughout the Arab/Muslim world in the past few decades.

In Egypt alone, between 80 and 100 churches have been attacked in the past 20 years, with most being the result of bombings, arson, or mob violence, conducted by radical Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. 

A battle for truth – and for Christian support

With Christians thriving in Israel compared to the Arab/Muslim world, why are Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and others railing against both Israel and Christian Zionists?

To us, the answer is obvious: such “influencers” who hate Israel are working hard to attack and fracture the relationship between Christians and the people and State of Israel.

Christian Zionists have been loyal supporters of Israel since its re-establishment in 1948.

Even as the world is steadily and aggressively turning against the Jewish State, most of the world’s 600 million Evangelical Christians are faithfully and consistently demonstrating their love and support and prayers for Israel and the Jewish people. 

That’s why the enemies of Israel are attempting to blow up the alliance between Christians and the people of Israel.

And that’s why they are accusing those who believe that the restoration of Israel to its land is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy as “heretics” who are suffering from a “brain virus.”

The State of Israel is hardly perfect.

Yet, we believe the rebirth of Israel in 1948 – and its survival over eight decades of relentless war and terror – is a beautiful testament that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is faithful to His promises.

Christians who support the Jewish homeland do so because they know that God is not finished with the nation of Israel.

They know from the scriptures that the Lord will keep His promises to Israel, even if this nation does not yet really know Him or His Son.

ALL ISRAEL NEWS is committed to reporting truthfully and faithfully about Israel.

We live here. We work here. We worship here. And we do not see a coordinated attempt by the government – or Israeli society at large – to harass, intimidate, or even minimize Christians who live in Israel.

What we do see is a concerted effort by Tucker and others to turn Evangelical Christians against Israel at precisely the same moment in history when there is a rising tide of Jew-hatred across the political and religious landscapes of multiple countries.

We do not believe that these attempts to slander the nation of Israel or the Jewish people will win the day.

Nor do we believe they will bring blessing or assistance to Christians living in the Holy Land.

Or help the persecuted Church throughout the Middle East and around the world.

Tucker and his allies are telling lies and sowing seeds of discord.

Please pray for the Lord to radically change their hearts, even as you pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the Christian and Messianic communities here in the Holy Land to thrive, grow, and be a true blessing to our nation and our neighbors.