At a session of the Knesset’s Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee on last Monday, May 5, Hadash MK Aida Touma-Sliman, a Communist legislator from northern Israel, sounded the alarm about a disturbing pattern of harassment of Christians in the country. During Holy Week, many Palestinian Christians from the occupied West Bank were denied entry into Jerusalem, and on Holy Saturday, the eve of Easter, Israeli police prevented worshippers from reaching churches. “Attacks on Christians rise in Israel, more than one hundred in the last year, and if this country respects all religions,” Touma-Sliman said, “what is happening against Christian clergy should have caused a huge uproar and upended the country.”
Hadash MK Aida Touma-Sliman (Photo: Zo Haderekh)
The disruptions were a continuation of a sharp increase in attacks against Arab Christians documented in a March 2025 report by the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue that showed rising incidents of violence: clergy spat on, church property vandalized, crosses desecrated, and pilgrims harassed. In many cases, police were slow to respond — if they responded at all.
Touma-Sliman also condemned the Israeli far-right government’s glaring failure to recognize the death of Pope Francis. The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a lower-level aide to Francis’ funeral, along with the Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, while the leaders of some 130 other nations attended. The excuse given — that the funeral fell on the Jewish Sabbath — rang hollow, especially considering the Israeli ambassador’s presence at the service.
The Israeli government sent only a bland, formal message of condolences on the day of Francis’ death, and even a perfunctory tweet from the Foreign Ministry was quickly deleted under pressure from far-right and racist coalition members.
This relative silence, particularly from a nation that brands itself a defender of religious freedom, was not simply a diplomatic oversight. It was a calculated act of disrespect, and a concession to elements of Netanyahu’s coalition, many of whom revile the pope for his moral clarity, especially when it came to Palestinians. As Touma-Sliman warned, |It sends a dangerous message that encourages demented extremists to continue their attacks on religious sanctities.”
Wadie Abu Nassar, a Catholic from Haifa and coordinator of the Forum of Christians in the Holy Land, called the government’s response to the pope’s death a betrayal: “He was the leader of the most important church in the world. He has followers among people who are Israeli taxpayers. The man deserves some respect.” Touma-Sliman on Monday demanded a clear national policy to combat religious hatred and racism in Israel, holding the police accountable for their role in fostering a culture of impunity. “The police must bear full responsibility for their violent, arbitrary practices and degrading behavior, especially during religious events and celebrations,” she said.
