Palestinian priest Dr. Jack Sara criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks about Christians in Palestine, saying they promote “half-truths” that serve a political narrative and fail to reflect the lived reality of Palestinian Christians under occupation.
Sara explained that in Netanyahu’s recent Christmas message, Israel was portrayed as a “safe haven” for Christians, while Christians elsewhere in the region were depicted as endangered minorities.
He noted that this framing may appeal to some Western Christian audiences but oversimplifies the situation and ignores the broader political and rights-based context of Christian life in Palestine.
These comments were published in an article by Sara through the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, where he argued that the issue is not just one inaccurate statement but a recurring pattern in which Christians are invoked when serving Israeli political messaging and disregarded when speaking about their real suffering.
Sara emphasized that the Palestinian Christian response should be ethical and grounded in reality, rather than defensive, pointing to Israel’s selective engagement with Christian grievances.
He detailed repeated attacks by Israeli occupation forces and settlers on churches and clergy, vandalism of Christian cemeteries in Jerusalem, and the burning of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Ascension in West Jerusalem years ago - none of which, he said, resulted in accountability.
Meanwhile, isolated incidents elsewhere are amplified for propaganda purposes.
The priest also addressed the burning of a Christmas tree in Jenin, which Netanyahu cited as evidence of Christian vulnerability under Palestinian governance.
Sara explained that the perpetrator was arrested by the Palestinian Authority, a new tree was installed, and celebrations continued with Christian clergy, Islamic leaders, and officials, reflecting coexistence and accountability.
Sara stressed that Palestinian Christians are not “fragile minorities,” noting they worship freely, run schools and hospitals, and play an active role in public life.
He said their challenges are political and shared with Palestinian Muslims under occupation.
He concluded that Netanyahu’s Christmas greeting was not genuine concern for Christians but a political statement instrumentalizing faith to advance a narrative.
Sara urged the global church to stand with the full truth, even when it disrupts simplified accounts.