In a video posted Thursday to extend his Christmas greetings, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes for “greater security and freedom” for all Middle Eastern Christians.
“I am proud to say that Israel is one of the few countries in the Middle East, maybe the only country in the Middle East, where Christians are truly free to practice their faith openly, freely to celebrate Christmas and other Christian holidays,” Netanyahu said.
“The state of Israel is a beacon of liberty in a Middle East plagued by oppression and extremism,” he said, adding, “It is my fervent hope, my fervent prayer, that 2016 is marked by greater security and freedom for all Christians across the Middle East.”
Netanyahu’s Christmas message follows that of President Obama this week, who asked God to protect Christians around the world, particularly those threatened by the Islamic State.
“In some areas of the Middle East where church bells have rung for centuries on Christmas Day, this year they will be silent,” Obama said. “This silence bears tragic witness to the brutal atrocities committed against these communities by ISIL,” he said, using another term for the Islamic terrorist group.
The most recent survey of population by religion by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics showed about 2 percent of Israelis identified as Christian in 2014.
