An aerial view of the port of Jaffa. Photo: Andrew Shiva via Wikimedia Commons.

Anti-Israel commentators often try to drive a wedge between Christians and Jews by falsely depicting Israel as a hostile place for Christians. But Israel recently took a step that illustrates a very different story — one that critics often ignore.

In April 2026, Israel appointed Ambassador George Deek as its first Special Envoy to the Christian World. 

Deek is a seasoned Israeli diplomat, a Christian Arab from Jaffa, and Israel’s former ambassador to Azerbaijan. His appointment places a Christian Israeli diplomat in a role that’s specifically created to strengthen Israel’s relationship with Christians around the world.

For those who routinely portray Israel as hostile to Christians, Deek’s appointment is an inconvenient fact. It reflects not rejection, but recognition: Israel understands the importance of its Christian citizens, its churches, and its relationship with Christians worldwide.

Tricia Miller, Director of CAMERA’s Partnership of Christians and Jews, emphasized the significance of the appointment.

“In April 2026, the Israeli government appointed its first special envoy to the Christian world, the seasoned Ambassador George Deek, a Christian Arab from Jaffa,” Miller said. “This appointment by the Foreign Ministry demonstrates the importance the Israeli government places on its relationship with Christians inside Israel and around the world. It shows that Israeli leadership cares about churches within Israel and values the important connection between Christians worldwide and the land of Israel.”

That message matters at a time when Israel’s relationship with Christians is often distorted. Critics frequently highlight isolated incidents of anti-Christian harassment or vandalism while presenting them as representative of Israeli society as a whole. Such incidents should be condemned and addressed when they occur. But there is a major difference between acknowledging real concerns and using them to falsely portray Israel as an enemy of Christians.

The broader reality is that Christian life in Israel is active, protected, and visible.

Israel is home to more than 180,000 Christians today, up from roughly 34,000 in 1948. Churches operate openly throughout the country, Christian holy sites are protected under Israeli law, and Christian citizens participate in Israeli public life, education, diplomacy, medicine, civil society, and the military. Israel is also home to at least 300 active churches.

This reality stands in stark contrast to the experience of many Christian communities elsewhere in the Middle East, where ancient Christian populations have declined dramatically because of persecution, war, extremism, political instability, and emigration.

“The Christian community in Israel is the only Christian community in the entire Middle East that is actually growing in number and is free to practice its faith with full protection under the law,” Miller said. “Christians in the rest of the Middle East have been ethnically cleansed and, where they still exist at all, have gone from being 20% of the general population to less than 2%. In contrast, Israel now has at least 300 active churches and the Christian population has increased from 34,000 in 1948 to more than 180,000 today.”

Deek’s own story illustrates the complexity of Israeli society. He is a Christian Arab native of Jaffa who served as ambassador for the Jewish State. His father, Youssef Deek, served as chairman of Jaffa’s Christian Orthodox community. Now, Deek has been appointed to represent Israel’s relationship with Christians worldwide.

That story disrupts the simplistic narratives often used against Israel. The country accused of excluding Christians has appointed a Christian diplomat to help lead its outreach to the Christian world.

CAMERA’s Miller recently met with Ambassador Deek in Washington, D.C., alongside a small group of Christian leaders. During the meeting, Deek shared his vision for building stronger relationships between Israel and Christian leaders, in part by telling the full story of Israel as a complex and diverse nation.

The meeting itself reflected that diversity. A Christian Arab diplomat representing the Jewish state met with Christian leaders in a gathering co-hosted by a Druze minister from the Israeli Embassy. It was a scene difficult to reconcile with the one-dimensional image of Israel promoted by its critics.

Israel is not perfect, and no serious defender of Israel needs to pretend that every incident or tension should be ignored. When Christians are mistreated, those incidents should be condemned and addressed. But truth requires context and proportion. It requires recognizing the difference between fringe behavior and national policy.

George Deek’s appointment provides that context.

It shows an Israeli government creating a new diplomatic role devoted to strengthening ties with Christians. It highlights a Christian Arab Israeli serving as a representative of the Jewish state. And it reminds Christians around the world that Israel does not see them as outsiders or enemies, but as partners with a deep and historic connection to the land of Israel.

For those trying to divide Christians from Jews, that is an inconvenient fact.

For Christians committed to truth, it is a story worth telling.

The author is a contributor to CAMERA, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis, where a version of this article first appeared.