The claim that Christians are not treated well in Israel has been gaining some popularity recently, most notably from the popular podcaster, conservative political activist, and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. In this article, we will show that Christians in Israel are thriving and growing, especially in comparison to their experiences in Palestinian-controlled areas as well as surrounding Muslim nations.
The Claim: Christians Are Declining
In an interview with Israeli-Arab Anglican Archbishop Hosam Naoum, Tucker Carlson made the claim that Christians in Israel are disappearing: “Their numbers are not growing. They are shrinking, and there’s a huge debate about why.” He argued that Christians fare better in surrounding Muslim-dominated countries like Jordan, and Naoum agreed, claiming that Israel is trying to “purify Jerusalem from infidels, Christians,” based on some incidents of spitting on clerics and other Christians in the Old City.1
A look at the facts, however, easily disproves such claims that Christians in Israel are declining. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the number of Christians has consistently grown rather than declined over the past eighty years.
Christians in Israel Are Growing
The Christian population in Israel has more than doubled since the 1970s. Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) revealed in a December 2025 report that the Christian population grew by 0.7 percent in 2024 alone.2 According to the report, approximately 184,200 Christians live in Israel, making up about two percent of the country’s population. Almost 80 percent of that number are Arab Christians, and the largest numbers live in Nazareth, Haifa, Jerusalem, and Nof HaGalil.3 Concerning Jewish Christians, or Messianic Jews, there are between 20,000 and 30,000 in Israel today, whereas in 1948, there were only 23 Jewish followers of Jesus.4 As one can see, that number has increased dramatically.
Christians in Israel are Thriving
The CBS study also reveals that 84 percent of Christians in Israel report satisfaction with their lives in Israel.5 “The Christian citizens in Israel have full and equal rights like every Jew, like every Muslim, like everyone else,” reports Joel Rosenberg, an American-Israeli evangelical follower of Jesus and founder of various Israeli news outlets.6 Israel’s Declaration of Independence guarantees freedom of religion, allowing Christians to worship openly, build churches, and gather freely.7 The state also protects holy sites and welcomes millions of Christian pilgrims each year.
In an exclusive interview with the Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem, Jewish Israeli believer in Jesus and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier Avi M. said the following about religious freedom in Israel:
There is freedom of religion in Israel; I can believe in whatever I want. There are extreme right religious Jewish parties in the government who would like to ban missionary efforts, but they have never succeeded. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself said on X: “We will not advance any law against the Christian community.” Christians have been the number one supporter of the State of Israel outside the Jewish community. There is no motivation in the greater Jewish community to repay that good with evil.8
Christians in Israel also thrive socially and educationally. Christian schools rank among the best in the country, with high matriculation rates and academic achievement. Over half of Israeli Christians pursue higher education, and many earn advanced degrees. Increasing numbers are also choosing to serve in the Israel Defense Forces.9
Israel Versus Muslim-Majority Countries
The flourishing of Christians in Israel contrasts sharply with conditions in much of the Middle East, where Christians often face persecution, legal restrictions, and violence. According to Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List, which ranks the fifty countries where Christians face the most severe persecution, eight of the top ten are Muslim-majority nations.10 In many of these countries, including Jordan (where Carlson claimed Christians fare better than in Israel), individuals who convert from Islam to Christianity may be brought before Sharia courts and labeled apostates. Consequences can include annulled marriages, loss of child custody, denial of inheritance, confiscation of property, and restrictions on basic civil rights.11 In some of these countries, converts face the death penalty.
In countries bordering Israel—such as Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria—Christians often experience outbreaks of hostility and limited political representation. Their populations have steadily declined as many emigrate in search of greater security and freedom. This pattern is especially evident in Iraq and Syria. Iraq’s Christian population has dropped dramatically over recent decades, particularly during the era of the Islamic State (ISIS) and even earlier under Saddam Hussein. Similarly, in Syria under Bashar al-Assad, and in areas governed by the Palestinian Authority, Christian communities have diminished significantly as many have left due to instability, persecution, and difficult living conditions.12
Claim: “But Don’t Jews Spit on Christians?”
In the interview with Carlson, Naoum mentioned how Christian clergy and tourists are sometimes spit on in Jerusalem by religious Jewish Israelis. While such incidents do occur, they are the actions of a very small fringe of religious Jewish extremists rather than representative of the broader Israeli society. According to Israeli civil rights attorney Calev Myers, “There is a problem with young hooligans spitting on robed clergy in the Old City, but we all know that 99.999% of Christian clergy in Israel have never experienced that.”13 “There is a very certain place, in the Christian Quarter of the Old City, where a small group of rebellious youth know that priests will be walking down the street and then spit at them,” he said.
Those involved are typically very young, and police do detain offenders. However, prosecution is uncommon because spitting is not usually classified as a criminal offense unless there is direct physical contact. The behavior often involves spitting in the direction of clergy rather than directly on them, a distinction that has also been acknowledged by church leaders.
During Sukkot in 2023, there were additional reports of Christians being spit on and even attacked. Still, Rosenberg told All Israel News that these incidents were limited in scope: “Does this constitute a national crisis? No. Is it coming from government policy? Absolutely not. Are those attacks against Christians legally sanctioned? Absolutely not.”14
How Are Christians in the West Bank Treated?
During his interview with Carlson, Naoum attributed the emigration of Christians from Bethlehem in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) to Israeli “occupation” and the presence of the security barrier—which was erected to protect Israelis from suicide bombings and stabbing attacks. While it is true the number of Christians is declining in the West Bank, a study released by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA) revealed a different reason for this decline. According to the report, “Palestinian Christians report systematic employment discrimination [from Muslims], forcing many to leave their communities to seek opportunities elsewhere.”15 The JCFA also identified similar patterns in other Palestinian-controlled areas. Gaza, for example, had around 5,000 Christians prior to Hamas taking control, but by 2023 that number had fallen to roughly 1,000. Commenting on the claim that Arab Christians are fleeing Palestinian-controlled areas because of Israel, Avi M. told the Alliance:
If this were the case, then we should see areas that were historically Christian become more Jewish. But what we really see is this: Arab populations that were once majority Christian, are now majority Muslim. For example, Bethlehem in the 1950s was around 85 percent Christian, and now Bethlehem is 85 percent Muslim. Nazareth was also once majority Christian and is now majority Muslim. This hasn’t happened in isolation. Christians around the Middle East are consistently oppressed by Muslims. Even Lebanon was roughly 54 percent Christian in the 1950s and is now only around 36 percent Christian.
This does not mean, however, that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict does not play a role in the hardships or suffering Palestinian Christians face living in the West Bank. There are growing reports of some extremist Jewish settlers in parts of the West Bank who are carrying out acts of violence against innocent Palestinians, which include both Christians and Muslims.16 Some Arab Christians have also reported Israeli soldiers’ misconduct.17
Commenting on the situation in the West Bank, Avi M. explained to the Alliance that the violence comes from both sides—Jewish and Arab—fighting each other in the West Bank, and that the IDF has deployed soldiers to the area tasked with the specific job to try to keep the peace between the two groups:
I have not heard or seen anything about IDF soldiers mistreating Arab Christians. If an IDF soldier is suspected of a crime or mistreatment, they face disciplinary court where they will face legal prosecution if found guilty. I knew a man who was a combat soldier in the tank division in the West Bank. One of his jobs was to ensure peace between the Jewish settlers and the Arabs in the West Bank because there is small-scale fighting between the two groups. As an IDF soldier, he actively protected Arabs as well as Jews. I also know IDF soldiers who were in Gaza and escorted Arab civilians to safe zones and protected them from Hamas, who was attacking and trying to keep the Arab civilians in dangerous areas.
Israel is no different than any country where citizens and soldiers who commit crimes are punished according to the law. Recently, Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, and some high-ranking military officials have called for an end to the growing violence in the region and plan to prosecute any Israelis carrying out acts of violence in the West Bank against innocent Palestinians.18
In conclusion, Israel—as the only democracy in the Middle East and as a country that protects freedom of religion for all its citizens—is the safest place for Christians to live and thrive in the Middle East. Both Israeli law and Israeli Christians testify to this truth. While no nation is without fault, Israel is a nation committed to justice, rule of law, and equal freedom for all its citizens.
Jennifer Miles is the director of communications for the Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem and a staff apologist for Chosen People Ministries. She earned her master’s degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stockton University. She is passionate about sharing biblical truth about Israel and the Jewish people and reaching God’s chosen people with the good news of their Messiah.
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1 Tucker Carlson, “The Shocking Reality of the Treatment of Christians in the Holy Land,” YouTube, February 5, 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFgLe03bVnA.
2 Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, “Christmas 2025 – Christians in Israel,” media release, December 2025, https://www.cbs.gov.il/en/mediarelease/Pages/2025/Christmas-2025-Christians-in-Israel.asp.
3 Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, “Christmas 2025 – Christians in Israel.”
4 Maayan Hoffman, “Is the Christian Community in Israel Declining? Tucker Carlson’s Claims Denounced as ‘Demonstrably Provable Lies,’” All Israel News, February 15, 2026, https://allisraelnews.com/is-the-christian-community-in-israel-declining-tucker-carlsons-claims-denounced-as-demonstrably-provable-lies.
5 “Israel’s Christian Community Is Growing, 84% Satisfied with Life Here – Report,” Times of Israel, December 22, 2021, https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-christian-community-is-growing-84-satisfied-with-life-here-report/.
6 Hoffman, “Is the Christian Community in Israel Declining? Tucker Carlson’s Claims Denounced as ‘Demonstrably Provable Lies.’”
7 “Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel,” May 14, 1948, The Avalon Project, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/israel.asp.
8 The full interview will be published next month at jerusalemalliance.com/articles.
9 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), “Israel’s Vibrant Christian Community,” memo, December 11, 2025, https://www.aipac.org/resources/israel-christian-community.
10 Open Doors, “The 2026 World Watch List,” Open Doors US, accessed March 24, 2026, https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/countries/.
11 Hoffman, “Is the Christian Community in Israel Declining? Tucker Carlson’s Claims Denounced as ‘Demonstrably Provable Lies.’”
12 Hoffman, “Is the Christian Community in Israel Declining? Tucker Carlson’s Claims Denounced as ‘Demonstrably Provable Lies.’”
13 Hoffman, “Is the Christian Community in Israel Declining? Tucker Carlson’s Claims Denounced as ‘Demonstrably Provable Lies.’”
14 Hoffman, “Is the Christian Community in Israel Declining? Tucker Carlson’s Claims Denounced as ‘Demonstrably Provable Lies.’”
15 Hoffman, “Is the Christian Community in Israel Declining? Tucker Carlson’s Claims Denounced as ‘Demonstrably Provable Lies.’”
16 For example, see Tzvi Jasper, “Israelis Commit Dozens of Attacks Against West Bank Villages, Burn Buildings, Vehicles,” The Jerusalem Post, March 22, 2026, https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-890763 and Rawan Suleiman, Matan Golan, and Jack Khoury, “‘A Good Arab is a Dead One’: Israeli Settlers Allegedly Vandalize Palestinian High School in West Bank,” Haaretz, March 23, 2026, https://www.haaretz.com/west-bank/2026-03-23/ty-article/.premium/a-good-arab-is-a-dead-one-israeli-settlers-vandalize-palestinian-high-school/0000019d-1a63-dd21-a1df-ff77d92e0000.
17 Tucker Carlson, “The Shocking Reality of the Treatment of Christians in the Holy Land,” YouTube, February 5, 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFgLe03bVnA.
18 Melanie Lidman and Julia Frankel, “Israel’s President Says ‘Shocking’ Settler Violence Against Palestinians Must End,” Associated Press, November 12, 2025, https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-israel-gaza-palestinians-west-bank-cc98f37d31a6510b08e767366ca8038e.
