
Israel’s Envoy to the Christian World: Many Arab Christians Are Proud of Their Israeli Identity
Israeli society offers Arab Christians a combination of “freedom, opportunity, and belonging,” which is why many of them “are proud to be Israeli,” Israel’s ambassador to the Christian World, George Deek, declared in remarks published Thursday, July 23. Deek pointed to a May public opinion survey of Arab citizens of Israel published by Tel Aviv University’s Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation, in which Israeli identity was the component most commonly cited by Christian Arab respondents as the most important part of their personal identity.
The survey found that 37.8% of Christian Arab respondents named their Israeli identity as most important to them, while 33.4% chose their Arab identity, 24.9% their Palestinian identity, and 3.9% their Christian identity. “Israel has succeeded where much of the region has failed: it has created a society in which Arab Christians can preserve their faith and identity while participating fully in the life of the state,” Deek stated. “Christians in Israel worship freely, receive a strong education, build successful careers, and serve in medicine, law, diplomacy, academia, business, and public life.”
Deek cautioned that “pride should never be taken for granted,” calling on Israel to invest in Christian towns and institutions, confront crime and discrimination, protect Christian holy sites, and respond firmly to every act of harassment or religious hatred. He added that Arab Christians should have a stronger and more consistent role in shaping the country’s policy and representing Israel internationally. “Israel is at its best when its citizens can be all three, confidently and without apology,” he said of being Arab, Christian, and Israeli.
(JPost/VFI News)
“For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” – Ephesians 2:14