General Discussion

An annual report by the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue, an interreligious group in Jerusalem, documented “a continued and expanding pattern of intimidation and aggression” of harassment or violence directed at Christians in Israel by Israeli Jews in 2025.

It described 155 incidents, including 61 physical attacks on people and 52 attacks on church properties. The most common expression of hostility was spitting at churches and clergy members, often in broad daylight or even in front of police officers, the report found.

The center noted a sharp rise in cases of verbal harassment, which it said reinforced the perception among Christians that they are seen as “unwanted guests” in Israel rather than a legitimate and integral part of the Holy Land’s religious and social fabric.

Hana Bendowsky, who leads a Rossing Center project to teach Israeli Jews about Christianity, said that hostility toward non-Jews was being fueled by the rise of Israeli nationalism, and by a growing sense that “the whole world’s an antisemite, that everyone who’s not us should be rejected and should not be here.”