Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Sunday with dozens of Christian soldiers and officers serving in the Israel Defense Forces, seeking to bolster interfaith ties with the community that serves in the military voluntarily.
“I’m here in the Prime Minister’s Office with an extraordinary group of young men and women. These are Christian soldiers, men and women, in the Israeli Defense Forces. They fill all the important positions in our incredible military, and they do incredible work,” Netanyahu said in a video of the meeting.
“This is completely contrary to what is presented outside. It’s not only that Israel fights for the rights of Christians around the Middle East, but that Israel has Christian soldiers who fight for the defense of Israel and for our Christian brethren throughout the area, throughout the region, and beyond,” he added.
Netanyahu noted that Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population is growing.
About 185,000 Christians live in Israel, making up just under 2% of the country’s total population.
Hundreds of Christians are currently serving in the IDF on a volunteer basis.
“As Christians living in the Holy Land, we see what is going on in the Middle East and the rest of the world and understand that despite the problems, we are in the safest country in the region and are at home here,” Lt. Col. (Res.) Ihab Shlayan, the highest-ranking Christian to have served in the IDF, told JNS.
The meeting in the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem comes a week after the IDF jailed two Israeli soldiers for 30 days and removed them from combat duty for damaging a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon, in an incident that was widely condemned from top down across the political spectrum, and by Israeli rabbis.
Last week, Israel named its first Christian ambassador as special envoy to the Christian world, aiming to deepen ties with communities worldwide.
