{"id":1152208,"date":"2021-12-24T23:34:17","date_gmt":"2021-12-25T04:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1152208"},"modified":"2021-12-24T23:34:18","modified_gmt":"2021-12-25T04:34:18","slug":"israeli-pms-christmas-message-israel-our-common-heritage-only-place-in-region-protecting-christian-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israeli-pms-christmas-message-israel-our-common-heritage-only-place-in-region-protecting-christian-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli PM\u2019s Christmas Message: Israel \u2018Our Common Heritage,\u2019 Only Place in Region Protecting Christian Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fisraeli-pms-christmas-message-israel-our-common-heritage-only-place-in-region-protecting-christian-life%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1152208&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\"><span>Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued Christmas greetings to Christians worldwide along with a message of brotherhood and unity, highlighting Israel\u2019s determination to protect Christian life and thanking Christian \u201cbrothers and sisters\u201d who are \u201cunited in our love for Jerusalem\u201d for \u201ccaring about us\u201d and \u201cfighting for the state of Israel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In his public Christmas message in English posted on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett wished all Christians in Israel and around the world a merry Christmas.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cFrom the holy city of Jerusalem, I want to wish all Christians in Israel and across the world a Merry Christmas,\u201d Bennett began.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Merry Christmas to all those celebrating in Israel and around the world. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tAAXLaGpHi\">pic.twitter.com\/tAAXLaGpHi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Naftali Bennett \u05d1\u05e0\u05d8 (@naftalibennett) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/naftalibennett\/status\/1474080984165462021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 23, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>He also highlighted what he described as the \u201ccommon heritage\u201d of both Jews and Christians.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s here in this ancient land where our forefathers lived the stories we all read in the Bible from the Galilee to the Holy City of Jerusalem, right here,\u201d he said. \u201cYou see, the land of Israel is the land of our common heritage, and it remains a beacon of religious freedom, tolerance, and prosperity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Noting the increased persecution of Christians in the region, Bennett highlighted Israel\u2019s role in protecting Christian life there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIn a region where Christians are routinely persecuted, there\u2019s only one place, one country, that protects Christian life \u2014 where the Christian community is growing, thriving, and prospering \u2014 and that\u2019s right here in the state of Israel,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Stating, \u201cWe\u2019re brothers and sisters, and we\u2019re all united in our love for Jerusalem and our prayers for peace,\u201d the prime minister wished \u201cwarm greetings\u201d from Israel\u2019s historic capital.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cSo, as you celebrate the holidays in Israel and around the world, I would like to send you all warm greetings from Jerusalem,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>He concluded by expressing appreciation for Christians who support the Jewish state.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI also want to thank you for caring about us; we know that you\u2019re out there fighting for the state of Israel,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019d like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19217882\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Qaraqosh-Al-Hamdaniya-Bakhdida-Iraq-celebrates-christmas-Dec2021-getty-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19217882\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Qaraqosh-Al-Hamdaniya-Bakhdida-Iraq-celebrates-christmas-Dec2021-getty-1.jpg\" alt=\"People gather by the giant hollow Christmas tree set up in Iraq&#039;s predominantly Christian town of Qaraqosh (Baghdeda), in Nineveh province, some 30 kilometres from Mosul, on December 7, 2021. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI \/ AFP) (Photo by ZAID AL-OBEIDI\/AFP via Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">People gather by the giant hollow Christmas tree set up in Iraq\u2019s predominantly Christian town of Qaraqosh (Baghdeda), in Nineveh province, some 30 kilometres from Mosul, on December 7, 2021. (Photo by ZAID AL-OBEIDI\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Also on Thursday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Isaac_Herzog\/status\/1474072004726820872?s=20\"><span>spoke<\/span><\/a><span> with Pope Francis, wishing him and Christians worldwide a merry Christmas on behalf of Israel.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIsrael is firmly committed to the wellbeing of Christian churches and communities in the Holy Land and the Middle East,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This year saw Christian populations <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/faith\/2021\/12\/23\/christian-persecution-increased-worldwide-in-2021\/\"><span>persecuted<\/span><\/a><span> in countries around the world despite a lack of significant media coverage, as the number of nations documenting such persecution has doubled in the past 15 years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Christian advocacy group Open Doors, whose ratings for Christian persecution track fairly well with the State Department\u2019s annual <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/reports\/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom\/\"><span>Report on International Religious Freedom<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.opendoorsusa.org\/2021-world-watch-list-report\/\"><span>revealed<\/span><\/a><span> over 340 million Christians are facing \u201chigh levels of persecution\u201d across the globe, equalling roughly one-eighth of the total Christian population.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In its latest annual religious freedom report, the Pew Research Center <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.asianews.it\/news-en\/Middle-East-home-to-highest-rate-of-religious-persecution-54259.html\"><span>found<\/span><\/a><span> that Christians are \u201cthe most persecuted religious group in the world,\u201d with 153 nations reporting attacks or discrimination against them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><i><em>Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter&nbsp;<a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshuaklein_\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@JoshuaKlein.<\/a><\/em><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued Christmas greetings to Christians worldwide along with a message of brotherhood and unity, highlighting Israel\u2019s determination to protect Christian life and thanking Christian \u201cbrothers &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1152208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1152208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/141"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1152208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1152208\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1152208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1152208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1152208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}