Israel: Situation of Christians, including treatment by society and the government; state protection and support services (2009-January 2013)

1. Statistics

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics of Israel, in 2011, of a total population of approximately 7.8 million, around 155,000 people were Christians, both Arab and non-Arab (Israel 2012).

2. Legislation

The International Religious Freedom Report for 2011 published by the US Department of Sate reports that

[t]he Basic Law on Human Dignity and Liberty protects religious freedom through reference to the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, which describes the country as a Jewish state with full social and political equality, regardless of religious affiliation, and promises freedom of religion. (US 30 July 2012, 1)

Sources report that Israeli law recognizes some religious communities as having jurisdiction over civil status matters such as marriage and divorce (ibid., 5; AICE n.d.; UN 12 Jan. 2009, para. 22). These communities include, among others, the following:

• Eastern Orthodox (US 30 July 2012, 3);
• Latin (Roman Catholic) (ibid.; UN 12 Jan. 2009, para. 22; AICE n.d.);
• Gregorian-Armenian (US 30 July 2012, 3);
• Armenian Orthodox (UN 12 Jan. 2009, para. 22);
• Armenian-Catholic (ibid.; US 30 July 2012, 3; AICE n.d.);
• Greek Orthodox (ibid.; UN 12 Jan. 2009, para. 22);
• Syrian Catholic (ibid.; US 30 July 2012, 3; AICE n.d.);
• Chaldean [or Chaldaic] Catholic (ibid.; UN 12 Jan. 2009, para. 22; US 30 July 2012, 3);
• Greek Catholic Melkite (ibid.; UN 12 Jan. 2009, para. 22; AICE n.d.);
• Maronite (ibid.; UN 12 Jan. 2009, para. 22; US 30 July 2012, 3);
• Syrian Orthodox (ibid.; UN 12 Jan. 2009, para. 22; AICE n.d.); and
• Evangelical Episcopal (ibid.; UN 12 Jan. 2009, para. 22; US 30 July 2012, 3).

According to the Religious Freedom Report for 2011, the following religious communities have been waiting for official recognition "for years": Ethiopian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the Evangelical Alliance of Israel (ibid., 4). The report further notes that Jehovah's Witnesses' applications for recognition were rejected in 2003 and in 2008 (ibid.).

The Religious Freedom Report for 2011 indicates that "proselytism is officially legal" (ibid., 13). The BBC also reports that "proselytising is allowed" (11 Oct. 2011).

3. Treatment of Christians

The Religious Freedom Report for 2011 noted that "in practice, the government generally respected religious freedom" (US 30 July 2012, 2). In his Wall Street Journal opposite editorial, Israel's ambassador to the US stated that Israel is a country "where Christians aren't endangered" (Oren 9 Mar. 2012). The ambassador indicated that Christians have government posts and serve on the country's Supreme Court (ibid.). However, the ambassador noted that it "does not mean that Israeli Christians do not occasionally encounter intolerance" (ibid.).

The Religious Freedom Report for 2011 indicated that evangelical Christians experienced "discriminatory practices" and abuse from some Jewish individuals and groups, and that some Jews were "hostile" to other Jews who had converted to Christianity (US 30 July 2012, 16, 18). Media sources indicate that spitting on Christian clergy by Orthodox Jews is a regular practice (The Jerusalem Post 26 Nov. 2009; Haaretz 4 Nov. 2011; The Telegraph 7 Sept. 2012).

Media sources indicate that there was a series of acts of vandalism against Christian holy sites in 2012 (AP 12 Dec. 2012; The Telegraph 7 Sept. 2012; Haaretz 21 Feb. 2012). Most of them were graffiti described as "price tag" attacks, which are usually carried out in retaliation for government decisions against settlements (BBC 2 Oct. 2012; Haaretz 4 Sept. 2012; AFP 12 Dec. 2012). According to Agence France-Presse, these attacks were at first carried out mostly in the West Bank, but later also inside Israel and in Jerusalem (ibid.). Vandalism occurred in different locations, including the following:

• the Narkis Street Baptist House [also Narkis Street Baptist Congregation] in Jerusalem in February 2012 (CBN 1 Nov. 2012; Reuters 20 Feb. 2012; Haaretz 21 Feb. 2012);
• a monastery in the town of Latroun in September 2012 (ibid. 4 Sept. 2012; The Telegraph 7 Sept. 2012; BBC 2 Oct. 2012);
• a Franciscan monastery at Mount Zion in October 2012 (ibid.; Haaretz 3 Oct. 2012);
• the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem in December 2012 (ibid. 12 Dec. 2012; AP 12 Dec. 2012).

Sources report that, in October 2011, "'Price Tag'" and "'Death to Arabs'" were spray painted on Christian and Muslim tombstones in Jaffa (Haaretz 8 Oct. 2011; Reuters 9 Oct. 2011; US 30 July 2012, 18). According to the Religious Freedom Report for 2011, the perpetrators were unknown (ibid.).

Two sources report that, in June 2011, the mayor of Nazaret-Illit said that "he would never … permit Christian residents to light Christmas trees in public places" (US 24 May 2012, 19; Mossawa Center et al. Jan. 2012, 11). Further information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

According to sources, unidentified people threw stones at Russian Orthodox worshippers at St. Nicolay Church, in the town of Migdal Ha'emek in northern Israel (World Watch Monitor 22 June 2009; The Jerusalem Post 4 Feb. 2010). One incident took place in May 2009 (World Watch Monitor 22 June 2009), and another one in August 2009 (The Jerusalem Post 4 Feb. 2010). The identity of those who were involved in the May 2009 incident "remain[ed] unknown" (World Watch Monitor 22 June 2009). During the incident in August 2009, a few people were reportedly slightly injured (The Jerusalem Post 4 Feb. 2010). The Jerusalem Post indicated that the perpetrators were not found (ibid.).

4. Messianic Jews

There are reportedly around 15,000 (ibid. 1 Sept. 2011) or 20,000 Messianic Jews in Israel (US 30 July 2012, 2). According to the BBC, Messianic Jews recognize Christ as the Messiah, but consider themselves to be Jewish (11 Oct. 2011). Other sources also report that Messianic Jews believe in Jesus (Time 6 June 2008; The Jerusalem Post 1 Sept. 2011).

Sources report that Messianic Jews are discriminated against (US 30 July 2012, 15, 16), harassed and "persecuted" (CBN 20 Mar. 2011). According to the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), since 2004, the Messianic Jewish community in the town of Arad, south of Jerusalem, has been "harassed and persecuted by ultra-Orthodox Jews who accuse them of missionary activity" (20 Mar. 2011). Similarly, the Religious Freedom Report for 2011 indicates that "[s]ocietal attitudes toward missionary activities … were negative" (US 30 July 2012, 18). The report adds that

[t]he Messianic Jewish and Jehovah's Witnesses communities, among others, accused groups such as Yad L'Achim and Lev L'Achim, Jewish religious organizations opposed to missionary activity, of harassing and occasionally assaulting their members. (ibid.)

For instance, CBN reports that, in March 2011, the "anti-missionary" organization Yad L'Achim organized a demonstration in the town of Arad (CBN 20 Mar. 2011). Reportedly about 200 protestors participated in the demonstration (ibid.). One of the demonstrators was quoted by CBN as saying that "the Messianic Jews … will be erased from Arad" (ibid.). Arad police reportedly said that "their hands are tied and they must allow the demonstrations" (ibid.). Israel Today, a news agency founded in 1978 in Jerusalem that provides local news with a "biblical … perspective" (Israel Today n.d.), also reported on a demonstration against Messianic Jews being scheduled for 1 March 2011 in Arad, and said that it was an annual event (ibid. 1 Mar. 2011).

According to Israel Today, another demonstration against Messianic Jews involving Yad L'Achim took place in February 2011 in the southern town of Ashdod, attracting around one thousand protestors (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The Jerusalem Post, in September 2011, reported that an anonymous group distributed flyers in the town of Mevaseret Zion identifying 10 individuals as Messianic Jews (The Jerusalem Post 1 Sept. 2011). The flyers, which included individuals' photographs and home addresses, were reportedly delivered to hundreds of households (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. In the same town of Mevaseret Zion, in the summer of 2011, there was a public protest against a family of Messianic Jews who were accused of proselytizing a minor (ibid.; Compass Direct News 3 July 2011).

The Religious Freedom Report for 2011 indicates that, according to the legal-defence NGO Jerusalem Institute of Justice, in 2011, officials of the Ministry of Interior "attempted to revoke citizenship of persons discovered holding Messianic or Christian beliefs, or denied them some national services, including child registration, social benefits, Israeli identity cards, and passports" (US 30 July 2012, 10, 15). For instance, in November 2011, the Ministry of Interior notified a woman that she had 14 days to leave the country because "her citizenship [was] revoked due to her affiliation with Messianic Judaism" (ibid.). The report adds that the Ministry of Interior refused to process applications from persons entitled to citizenship under the Law of Return because they were Christians or Messianic Jews, "although the Law of Return has no such provision" (ibid., 15-16). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

5. State Protection

Agence France-Presse indicates that perpetrators of "price tag" attacks are "rarely caught" (12 Dec. 2012). The Telegraph reports that a senior Vatican official in Jerusalem "protested" police "inaction" to protect Christians and the failure to "identify the culprits behind any of the [anti-Christian] incidents" (7 Sept. 2012). Similarly, CBN indicates that five Christian churches were "vandalized" in Jerusalem between January and November 2012, but "no arrests or indictments were made" (1 Nov. 2012). The Religious Freedom Report for 2011 also notes that Jehovah's Witnesses reported assaults and threats of violence to the police, but were faced with "difficulties" when "convincing the police to investigate or apprehend the perpetrators" (US 30 July 2012, 18). Further information on the treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses and state protection could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence France-Presse (AFP). 12 December 2012. "Jerusalem Sites Sprayed with anti-Christian Graffiti." [Accessed 18 Feb. 2013]

American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE). N.d. Jewish Virtual Library. "The Christian Communities of Israel." [Accessed 8 Feb. 2013]

Associated Press (AP). 12 December 2012. "Hate Graffiti Sprayed on Jerusalem Church, Extremist Jews Connected to Settlement Movement Suspected." [Accessed 18 Feb. 2013]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 2 October 2012. "Anti-Christian Graffiti Sprayed on Jerusalem Convent." [Accessed 18 Feb. 2013]

_____. 11 October 2011. "Guide: Christians in the Middle East." [Accessed 7 Feb. 2013]

Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). 20 March 2011. Julie Stahl. "Ultra-Orthodox Jews Harass Israeli Believers." [Accessed 6 Feb. 2013]

_____. 1 November 2012. Julie Stahl. "Christians, Israeli Jews Fight Persecution Together." [Accessed 6 Feb. 2013]

Compass Direct News. 3 July 2011. "Messianic Christian Couple in Israel Accused of Converting Minor." [Accessed 13 Feb. 2013]

Haaretz [Tel Aviv]. 12 December 2012. Nir Hasson. "Vandals Spray 'Price Tag' Graffiti on Jerusalem Monastery." [Accessed 18 Feb. 2013]

_____. 3 October 2012. Oz Rosenberg and Nir Hasson. "Another Israeli Church Defaced with 'Price Tag' Graffiti." [Accessed 18 Feb. 2013]

_____. 4 September 2012. Oz Rosenberg. "Christian Monastery near Jerusalem Vandalized, Door Set on Fire." [Accessed 18 Feb. 2013]

_____. 21 February 2012. Nir Hasson. "Jerusalem Christians Are Latest Targets in Recent Spate of 'Price Tag' Attacks." [Accessed 18 Feb. 2013]

_____. 4 November 2011. Oz Rosenberg. "Ultra-Orthodox Spitting Attacks on Old City Clergymen Becoming Daily." [Accessed 18 Feb. 2013]

_____. 8 October 2011. Barak Ravid, Avi Issacharoff and Chaim Levinson. "Muslim, Christian Graves in Jaffa Defaced with Racist Slogans in Suspected 'Price Tag' Attack." [Accessed 27 Feb. 2013]

Israel. 2012. Central Bureau of Statistics. "Population, by Religion." Statistical Abstract of Israel 2012. No. 63. [Accessed 13 Feb. 2013]

Israel Today. 1 March 2011. Ryan Jones. "Messianic Jews Besieged in Southern Israel." [Accessed 25 Feb. 2013]

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 25 Feb. 2013]

The Jerusalem Post. 1 September 2011. Ruth Eglash. "Messianic Jews 'Named and Shamed' in J'lem-area Town." [Accessed 8 Feb. 2013]

_____. 4 February 2010. Ksenia Svetlova. "A Different Sort of Orthodoxy." [Accessed 25 Feb. 2013]

_____. 26 November 2009. Larry Derfner. "Mouth Filled with Hatred." [Accessed 18 Feb. 2013]

Mossawa Center, Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel, Israel Religious Action Center, Hotline for Migrant Workers. January 2012. Shadow Report: United Nations Committee Against all Forms of Racial Discrimination. [Accessed 7 Feb. 2013]

Oren, Michael. 9 March 2012. "Israel and the Plight of Mideast Christians." Opposite editorial published in the Wall Street Journal. [Accessed 8 Feb. 2013]

Reuters. 20 February 2012. Ori Lewis. "Vandals Scrawl Graffiti on Jerusalem Baptist Church." [Accessed 18 Feb. 2013]

_____. 9 October 2011. "Muslim and Christian Graves Desecrated in Israeli City of Jaffa." [Accessed 27 Feb. 2013]

The Telegraph [London]. 7 September 2012. Adrian Blomfield. "Vatican Official Says Israel Fostering Intolerance of Christianity." [Accessed 6 Feb. 2013]

Time. 6 June 2008. Tim McGirk. "Israel's Messianic Jews Under Attack." [Accessed 12 Feb. 2013]

United Nations (UN). 12 January 2009. Human Rights Council. Promotion and Protection of all Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Including the Right to Development. Report of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Asma Jahangir. Addendum: Mission to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. (A/HRC/10/8/Add.2) [Accessed 13 Feb. 2013]

United States (US). 30 July 2012. Department of State. "Israel and the Occupied Territories." International Religious Freedom Report for 2011. [Accessed 4 Feb. 2012]

_____. 24 May 2012. Department of State. "Israel and the Occupied Territories." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011. [Accessed 29 Jan. 2013]

World Watch Monitor. 22 June 2009. "Church Showered with Stones in Northern Israel." [Accessed 13 Feb. 2013]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Attempts to contact representatives or academics at the following organizations were unsuccessful: Association for Civil Rights in Israel; Beit Hayeshua; Faculty of Law and Institute of Criminology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Israel College of Bible; Israel — State Comptroller and Ombudsman; Jews for Jesus Canada; Middle East Council of Churches; One for Israel; Trumpet of Salvation to Israel.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Arutz Sheva; Association for Civil Rights in Israel; Beit Hayeshua; BlessIsrael; Coalition Against Racism in Israel; Daily News; Factiva; Faculty of Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Final Frontier Ministries; Freedom House; Hotline for Migrant Workers; The Huffington Post; Human Rights Watch; International Christian University; International Committee of the Red Cross; International Federation for Human Rights; Israel — Israel Government Portal, Israel Police, State Comptroller and Ombudsman; Israel College of Bible; Israel Religious Action Center; Jerusalem Institute of Justice; Jews for Jesus Canada; Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders; One for Israel; Palestine News Network; Political Handbook of the World; Rosh Pina Project; Trumpet of Salvation to Israel; United Nations — Committee Against Torture, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld, UN Development Program, UN Women; United Kingdom Border Agency; Unites States — Bureau of Diplomatic Security; Yad L'Achim, Yad L'Achim Watch; Yeshiva World News.