President Isaac Herzog today (Thursday, 21 December 2023), hosted leaders of different Christian communities of the Holy Land. In place of the traditional reception, under the shadow of the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, the President spoke with the leaders of the community about the situation, about the State of Israel’s commitment to the well-being of the different faith communities of the Holy Land, and about the shared hope for peace in the new year.
Among those attending the meeting was His Beatitude Theophilos III Giannopoulos, Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem; His Beatitude Nourhan Manougian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem; His Beatitude Cardinal Battista Pietro Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem; His Paternity Fr. Francesco Patton - Custos of the Holy Land; His Grace Archbishop Dr. Amer Yousef Matta, Archbishop and Head of the Greek-Catholic Church of Acre, Haifa, Nazareth and the Galilee; His Grace Archbishop Enbakom Basaznew Wondemagegnehu, Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem; His Eminence Archbishop Dr. Antonios, Head of the Coptic-Orthodox Church; His Eminence Archbishop Anthimos Jak Yakoub, Head of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem; His Excellency Archbishop Dr. Hosam Naoum, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East; The Right Reverend Bishop Sani-Ibrahim Azar, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land; His Excellency Archbishop Moussa El-Hage Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Haifa and the Holy Land and the Patriarchal Language of Jerusalem and the Land of Israel and Jordan; and His Excellency Bishop Camil Semaan, Bishop of the Syrian-Catholic Church in Jerusalem. Also attending the meeting was Israel's Minister of Interior of Israel, Moshe Arbel.
President Herzog spoke about the terrible attack Hamas had carried out on October 7. He said: “Evil forces of the worst kind carried out a barbaric, sadistic attack, killing innocent women, children, old people, young people, people from 40 nationalities, taking hostages, raping, chopping heads, burning people, and more. There are also many people of the Christian communities who are affected by these horrors. Nothing of this is compatible with the Gospels, with the writing of the Gospels, with the teaching of Jesus Christ, or the teachings of course of the Jewish faith, and also with moderate Islam. Our problem – all of us – is with extreme fundamentalist Islam, which does not accommodate you or us. It's an expression of an empire of evil that emanates from Tehran, which believes in jihadist ideology, which we all have to eradicate. And that is why this war was forced upon us.”
He noted, “In the last year I've taken clear steps to defend and to protect Christian communities in the Holy Land. I do expect all religious leaders and all voices of the Christian world to express clear condemnation of these horrors, and to support our efforts to eradicate evil from the face of the Holy Land, and enable a different future for Israelis, Palestinians, and the region as a whole. There were some deeply disappointing comments by certain very important leaders in the Christian world and we expect a different direction because in the end, we are all dealing with something which is very clear: are we in favour of good, or we favour of evil. Israel is clearly undoubtedly doing its best. And it's fighting for not only for us against Hamas, but for the world at large, for the voices of morality.”
He concluded, “May I wish you and all the members of the Christian faiths in the Holy Land, and the world at large, a Merry Christmas, and a happy 2024. Let's all pray for joy, happiness in a different direction for this region.”
Greek Patriarch Theophilos III thanked the President and said: “We wish to express our gratitude Mr. President, for welcoming us to this reception in this season of light and hope and wish to acknowledge the support that you have always given to the Christian community of Jerusalem, and the Holy Land. We are with you today at the critical time for all the peoples of our multiethnic and multicultural and multi-religious Holy Land.”
He added, “Our common moral tradition teaches the unique value of every human life and respect for the dignity of every person strong. Our common moral tradition expects the entire human family to live in dignity. Our common moral tradition recognizes the importance of freedom, safety and security for the well being of all.”
Minister of Interior of Israel, Moshe Arbel, said: "The prophet Malachi wrote, "There is one father for us all, there is one God. How can a man betray his brother to break the covenant of our fathers?" These words accompany us every day, hour by hour, to remember that we are all sons of one Father. I would like to recognize those faith leaders who immediately after the October 7 attack, expressed their sympathy and empathy, and concern for the well-being of the hostages. I have no doubt that this important meeting here at the President's Residence, together with the leaders of faith communities, will bring with a message of hope for peace and love for humanity.
"The Ministry of the Interior will continue to help strengthen and protect the holy places and the freedom of worship. May we know good days when "nation will not lift up sword against nation and they will no longer learn war"."
Later, President Herzog also met leaders of the Evangelical community in Israel who voiced their shared condemnation for Hamas’s terrorism, and noted their support for and solidarity with the people of Israel.