President Isaac Herzog on Monday expressed concern over the exodus from Israel by young Christian families.
“This is their home as it is my home as it is our home,” he told faith leaders and other representatives of all the Christian denominations in Israel at the annual Christmas/New Year reception that he hosts for leading members of the diverse Christian communities.
He stressed the importance of making people in the Christian communities feel welcome and secure.
The president referenced the Abraham Accords as being a principle for peace and prosperity for all the children of Abraham and all the children of God. He underscored that it is the mission of faith leaders to plant peace and reconciliation in the entire region.
Herzog also mentioned the Iranian people, saying that the hearts of Israel go out to them.
He thanked Christians from around the world for their support in helping to shape a better future.
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, who heads the Council of Churches in the Holy Land, which encompasses all Christian denominations, said that they were encouraged by the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and prayed that it would lead to a conclusive and permanent peace, “healing the wounds of the seventh of October and of the war in Gaza.”
Christians in the Holy Land - working for the well-being of all
He noted that Christians in the Holy Land continue to strive and work for humanitarian aid to be delivered for the well-being of all, especially children, women, the elderly, and those who are sick, injured, or wounded.”
In this context, he referred specifically to Gazan children with cancer who are being treated at Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem.
Closer to home, Theophilos stated that more effective attention must be given to the real and growing difficulties in the other areas of the Palestinian territories.
“The rise and increasing hostility of radical groups in the West Bank and in Jerusalem are a real challenge, and effective ways must be found to ensure the well-being of communities that must live side by side in respect and safety,” he said. “We must not give up until we tackle an equally serious threat to all of us, which is the crime and violence that communities are experiencing in the northern communities of Israel.”
In concluding, Theophilos assured Herzog that the patriarchs and heads of churches will remain steadfast in their spiritual mission to be messengers of peace and reconciliation and to cooperate with the president and all those who place peace and fighting against all forms of antisemitism and Islamophobia before all other interests.
Both Herzog and Yehuda Avidan, the director-general of the Religious Affairs Ministry, assured all those present that Israel will continue to preserve and protect all the holy sites and guarantee freedom of worship for all.