Netanyahu rejects ‘lie’ that Israel persecutes Christians, says community ‘flourishing’

At a groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial for fallen Arabic-speaking Christian IDF soldiers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is protecting Christians, and Christians are protecting Israel.

“We are facing a global campaign against Israel and the Israel Defense Forces,” says Netanyahu. “In this campaign, Israel and Israeli soldiers are portrayed not only as perpetrators of war crimes — which is the greatest absurdity that could possibly be said about the most moral army in the world — but Israel is also portrayed as a persecutor of minorities.”

Among recent incidents of vandalism and attacks against Christians, an IDF soldier was documented smashing a statue of Jesus statue in southern Lebanon. He and another soldier were sent to jail by their commanders.

Netanyahu calls Israel “an island of progress, an island of tolerance, an island of security,” and stresses Israel’s commitment to protecting the Druze in Syria.

“This is the only place, Israel, where the Christian community is flourishing and growing,” Netanyahu continues. “The only one in the Middle East. Everywhere else, they are persecuted, or they emigrate, or they are slaughtered. Only here do they find a place, a shared home for all of us.”

He says that the groundbreaking ceremony in the Galilee disproves the “lie” that Israel is persecuting Christians: “We came here today to shatter that lie, and we are shattering it through this very ceremony, through the very fact that we are not only protecting Christians — I am speaking specifically about the current lie — the Christians are protecting us! Everyone together.”