This is not happening in a vacuum. There has always been a deep hatred of Christianity in Israel. But the recent rise of a new virulent strain of Jewish supremacy has brought it to new heights. Here is a partial list of incidents:
1) There have been 111 hate crimes recorded against Christians recorded in 2024, including 46 physical assaults. Then a total of 181 incidents in 2025, representing a 63% rise in harassment. It is believed most incidents are not reported. The Rossing Center documented 61 physical attacks in 2025 alone, involving hitting, pushing, and the use of pepper spray against identifiable clergy.
2) Spitting is the most common form of harassment, accounting for 60% to 80% of all recorded incidents in Jerusalem's Old City. A significant portion of these attacks (43%) target the Armenian Quarter and the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem.
3) In 2023, footage went viral showing ultra-Orthodox Jews spitting on the ground as Christian pilgrims carrying a cross began a procession from the Church of the Flagellation in Jerusalem's Old City. Five suspects were subsequently arrested.
4) In 2024, an elderly Christian woman in the West Bank suffered a fractured skull after a confrontation with settlers grazing livestock on her land; her home was later attacked.
5) That year a break-in occurred at a Catholic retreat house in northern Israel where sacred items were damaged and replaced with Jewish religious objects.
6) In 2023 more than 30 graves—including those of significant historical figures, were smashed by two suspects wearing religious Jewish attire. The incident was captured on video and widely condemned as a clear hate crime.
6) In 2026 senior Catholic clergymen, including the Latin Patriarch, were temporarily blocked by police from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday Mass. Israeli forces reportedly assaulted and beat Christian worshippers and pilgrims attempting to reach the Church.
7) The Christian town of Taybeh in the West Bank experienced multiple targeted attacks, including arson, armed incursions, and racist graffiti.
8) The IDF has repeatedly hit churches in Lebanon. The St. George Melkite Catholic Church was completely destroyed in 2024. The attack killed at least eight people who were using the church as a shelter. A priest’s house and parish offices were also leveled.
9) Two Maronite pastors, Fr. Pierre Al-Rai (Qlayaa) and Fr. Maroun Ghafari (Alma al-Shaab), were killed in recent months during strikes on their respective villages.
10) Israel has repetaedly hit Christian sites in Gaza. At least 3 churches have been destroyed or severely damaged by the occupation. Heritage sites like St. Porphyrius (one of the oldest in the world) and the Byzantine Church of Jabalia have suffered severe damage, described by archaeologists as some of the worst destruction of heritage they have witnessed.
11) Since late 2023, the Armenian community has been locked in a high-stakes legal battle over a "secret" lease of approximately 25% of the Armenian Quarter (the "Cows' Garden") to an Israeli investor for luxury hotel development. Armenians have maintained a constant sit-in protest to block bulldozers and have faced intimidation from armed private security guards.
12) In 2024 and 2025, Jerusalem municipalities threatened to freeze church bank accounts over alleged tax debts, a move Christian leaders called a "coordinated attack" designed to weaken their institutions' financial viability.
13) In southern Lebanon, predominantly Christian villages like Alma al-Shaab have been largely emptied, with residents sleeping in churches for safety before being forced into mass displacement. Some local leaders have explicitly appealed to the Vatican, stating their villages have no military activity but are still being targeted.
The war Israel has declared on Christianity has had serious effects. The climate of hostility has led to a measurable impact on the community's future. A 2025 Rossing Center survey found that nearly half of Christians under 30 in the region have considered emigrating due to systemic discrimination and safety concerns. Israel is no friend to Christianity.
Lebanon |
An Israeli soldier smashing the head of a Jesus Christ statue during operations in southern Lebanon.