JERUSALEM — Catholic soldiers were among the three dozen young Israeli servicemen and servicewomen invited to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, April 26. The meeting was a rare opportunity for Christians serving in the Israeli military to share their views and experiences with the leader of Israel's government.
"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 Israel Defense Forces," Netanyahu said in a video as he sat at his desk, flanked by the soldiers. "They fill all the important positions in our incredible military, and they do incredible work."
Up to 1,000 of the roughly 185,000 Christians with Israeli citizenship serve in the IDF. While some have been drafted, the majority serve as volunteers.
The meeting was scheduled at a time when Israel faces mounting criticism over the country's treatment of Christians in both Israel and south Lebanon, where Israeli forces are fighting the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah. On April 19, an IDF soldier destroyed a statue of Jesus in the village of Debel in southern Lebanon. The same week, a video showed an IDF vehicle destroying a large solar energy panel near the same Lebanese Christian village.
There were also 180 reported anti-Christian incidents — from spitting at Christian clergy to defacing church property — in Israel in 2025, according to the Religious Freedom Data Center, an Israeli nongovernmental organization that tracks these incidents.
In contrast to other Middle Eastern countries, Israeli law grants full rights to its small Christian community. But Christian emigration from both Israel and Palestine has increased in recent years, fueled by wars, financial instability, and anti-Christian acts by both Jews and Muslims.
Appointment of special envoy
Reflecting the growing crisis between Israel and Christians around the world, on April 23 the government appointed diplomat George Deek, an Orthodox Christian, to serve as special envoy to the Christian world. Deek previously served as Israel's ambassador to Azerbaijan.
In a statement announcing Deek's appointment, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Israel "attaches great importance to its relations with the Christian world and with its Christian friends around the world. I am confident that George, a respected and experienced diplomat, will greatly contribute to the friendship and strengthening of the ties between the state of Israel and the Christian world."
During Sunday's meeting with soldiers, Netanyahu said that "Israel fights for the rights of Christians around the Middle East" and noted 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."
Netanyahu said he was "impressed" by the soldiers' personal stories, "their commitment, their sacrifice, their achievements."
Juergen Buehler, head of the evangelical International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, said it was gratifying to be invited to the meeting, where 17 evangelical Christian soldiers and about 20 Arab Christian soldiers spoke at length with the prime minister.
"It was an extraordinary meeting, which lasted for at least one-and-a-half hours. At first, the prime minister went around and greeted each soldier personally. It was a very open discussion," Buehler said.
Given the opportunity to share some of the challenges of being a Christian IDF soldier, "an Arab Christian soldier told Netanyahu that he doesn't face any challenges in the IDF for being Christian, but when we go home, it's a different reality," Buehler related.
Buehler said the gathering was particularly important after the back-to-back incidents in southern Lebanon.
"One purpose of the meeting was to signal from the government that Christian soldiers are appreciated. Christians here are a minority within a minority within a minority, so it provided a unique window for the government to see why we serve. We are Zionists, but there are issues when you are a minority."
Buehler said the soldiers told Netanyahu that the government must work harder to raise the profile of Israel's small Christian population.
"Israel needs to make sure that the next generation of Israelis are taught that Christians are part of the state of Israel and that there are many Christians around the world who stand with Israel," Buehler said.
Shadi Khalloul, a Maronite Christian from northern Israel, agreed.
"Israel needs to normalize that Christians have a place here in this country, and it must stop Jewish and Muslim extremists. These extremists like the ones we saw in southern Lebanon do not represent the Israelis, the IDF, or the Jewish spirit," said Khalloul, an IDF veteran.
