Israel: Christians suffer increasing harassment

View of Jerusalem from Dominus Flevit church - Image ICN/JS

Source: Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation

The Religious Freedom Data Center reported a significant increase in Christian harassment cases throughout Israel, Judith Sudilovsky writes in OSV News. According to founder Yisca Harani: "more than 88 incidents have already been documented this year" as of early June 2026, with the trajectory suggesting the total will surpass the previous year's 181 cases.

Incidents include spitting, verbal abuse, vandalism, grave desecrations, and graffiti. These occurrences concentrate in Jerusalem's Old City, Mount Zion, and near the Armenian Patriarchate, though northern Israeli Christian holy sites have also experienced vandalism and arson. While Israeli authorities characterize these acts as isolated pranks by youth, Christian leaders describe them as a systematic problem occurring regularly.

Organisations like the Israel Religious Action Center emphasise the importance of documentation and persistence in filing police complaints. The centre's director noted that of 25 complaints filed between 2012 and 2021, most were dismissed as unsolvable cases, highlighting the need for advocates to urge victims to continue reporting incidents.

There has also been a rise in attacks on Christians in the West Bank and Gaza. Taybeh, the last completely Christian town in the West Bank has come under multiple attacks by illegal setters in recent weeks.

For more information see:

OSV News report: www.osvnews.com/christian-harassment-cases-rise-in-israel-as-advocates-urge-victims-to-report-incidents/

Violence against Christians in Israel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_against_Christians_in_Israel