Rising Intolerance Against Christians in Israel and Jerusalem
Low-level hostility, including spitting and defaced property, has become a daily reality for the community, contributing to a desire among nearly half of those under 30 to emigrate.
An unprovoked assault on a French nun walking along a street in occupied East Jerusalem last week has drawn condemnation from Israeli officials, who described the act as despicable and having no place in Israeli society. While a suspect has been arrested in connection with the attack, the incident represents the latest in a documented surge of harassment, assault, and intimidation reported by Christians across Israel and East Jerusalem.
According to data from the Religious Freedom Data Center, there were 31 recorded incidents of harassment against Christians in the first three months of 2026 alone. These incidents primarily involved spitting or the defacing of church property. Previous analysis by the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue tracked 113 known attacks on individuals and church property in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem last year, including 61 physical assaults targeting clergy.
Analysts attribute this escalation to a shift towards far-right nationalism within the Israeli government, where ultra-nationalist and ultra-Orthodox elements feel empowered to target non-Jews. A survey conducted by the Rossing Center suggests that ultra-Orthodox and ultra-nationalistic Israelis are responsible for the majority of these attacks. Rabbi Arik Ascherman, an Israeli peace activist, noted that the hate and attempts to harass non-Jews by certain elements know no bounds, ranging from spitting to government actions preventing churches from bringing in foreign clergy.
The community, comprising approximately 180,000 Christians in Israel and around 10,000 in East Jerusalem, has been present in the region for over 2,000 years, with the majority in East Jerusalem being Palestinian. Despite this long history, they now report increasing attacks specifically for practicing their faith. Low-level incidents such as insults and disparaging graffiti have become a daily experience, contributing to a desire among nearly half of the religious community under 30 to leave the country.
Trust in state protection remains low, leading many victims to go unreported. Hana Bendcowsky, programme director at the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations, stated there is an absolute lack of confidence in the police. She explained that unless an incident gains international attention, particularly in the United States, investigations often go unreported or are closed without official conclusion.
Shaiel Ben-Ephraim of Atlas Global Strategies warns that these attacks may erode long-term support for Israel among younger generations of Christians, particularly in the US. He noted that while current leaders may dismiss the issue, the rising intolerance shapes an entire generation of religious Christians, potentially eroding the little support Israel has left in the West.
