For decades, Christians in the United States have been among Israel’s most steadfast friends. They have visited the country, supported Israeli communities and charities, defended the Jewish state in public life, challenged antisemitism and understood the Jewish return to the ancestral homeland as an event of profound historical and religious significance.
Israel has long recognized and valued this friendship, building important relationships with churches, pastors, Christian organizations and faith leaders across the United States. Today, Israel’s public diplomacy is increasingly highlighting another powerful dimension of that relationship: the remarkable success story of Christians in Israel itself.
This is both timely and necessary, because Israel’s enemies understand the strategic importance of Christian support. Anti-Israel activists are making a concerted effort to penetrate churches, Christian universities, religious conferences and younger Christian audiences. Their aim is to turn a natural constituency of support for Israel into one that is divided, uncertain or even hostile.
They frequently employ the language of human rights, liberation theology and social justice to present Israel as an enemy of Christianity. Some attempt to separate Christianity from its Jewish roots, portray Jesus as a “Palestinian,” erase the Jewish history of the biblical landscape and suggest that Israel is responsible for the struggles of Christians throughout the region.
This is not merely a distortion of history and theology. It is a deliberate political strategy. Israel’s opponents know that American Christians represent one of the strongest and most consistent sources of support for the Jewish state. Weakening that bond would be a significant victory for the international campaign to isolate and delegitimize Israel.
One of the most effective responses is to tell the truth about Christian life in Israel.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East in which Christians enjoy full civil, political and religious rights within a robust democratic system. Christian citizens vote, organize politically, criticize the government, petition the courts, practice their religion openly and participate in every area of national life.
Christians serve as judges, diplomats, doctors, academics, business leaders, journalists, members of parliament and senior public officials. Christian schools are among the country’s strongest educational institutions, while Christian communities make contributions to Israeli medicine, education, commerce, culture and public service far beyond their numerical size.
Their educational achievements are particularly impressive. According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, 87.7 percent of Christian 12th-grade students were eligible for a matriculation certificate in the 2023–24 school year. Arab Christian graduates continued to first-degree studies at a higher rate than graduates in both the wider Arab and even Jewish education systems.
Christian women are also especially prominent in higher education, accounting for more than 60 percent of Christian students.
On several important educational and social measures, Christians in Israel do not merely participate successfully. They outperform the Jewish majority.
This is a tremendous Israeli success story, and it deserves to be far better known.
This reality stands in sharp contrast with much of the surrounding region. Across the Middle East, ancient Christian communities have been devastated by war, political instability, Islamist extremism and religious persecution. In some countries, communities that survived for nearly 2,000 years have been reduced to a fraction of their former size.
In Israel, Christians can worship freely, receive an excellent education, build successful careers and participate fully in public life. Their achievements demonstrate not only their own determination and talent, but also what becomes possible when a religious minority is granted freedom, citizenship and democratic rights.
This story is starting to be at the center of official Israel’s outreach to the Christian world. It is not being told merely by government spokespeople, but by Christian Israelis themselves. Christian educators, doctors, entrepreneurs, judges, students and community leaders are the most credible witnesses to their own experiences.
American Christian visitors should have opportunities to meet these communities directly. Christian universities and churches should hear from Israeli Christian speakers. Social media campaigns should introduce younger Christians to the people behind the statistics. Israel’s Christian citizens should be presented not as symbols in a public relations campaign, but as proud and accomplished Israelis with their own voices, identities and stories.
This engagement is especially important for younger Christians, many of whom encounter Israel primarily through social media. They are frequently shown emotional images without context and slogans without history. They need more than political talking points. They need direct encounters, credible testimony and a deeper understanding of the realities of the Middle East.
The effort must also extend beyond the United States. Christian communities across Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia represent an enormous and diverse audience. In many of these regions, affection for Israel remains profound, but anti-Israel movements are working aggressively to undermine it.
Israel’s expanding effort to highlight the success of its Christian citizens therefore comes at an important moment. It strengthens the relationship between Israel and the Christian world while countering one of the most persistent falsehoods promoted by Israel’s opponents.
The truth is powerful: in the Jewish state, Christians are free, fully enfranchised and increasingly successful. That is not a slogan or a public relations invention. It is a measurable reality and one of Israel’s most compelling stories.
Mark Ginsberg is an Israel-based digital marketer and commentator on technology and artificial intelligence, with over two decades of firsthand perspective on the country’s innovation economy. Originally from South Florida and now based in Efrat, he analyzes the growth of Israel’s tech ecosystem and the broader implications of AI on business, policy, and society.