Israel Names George Deek First Envoy to Christian World as Christian Population Reaches 184,200
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 21
Israel Names George Deek First Envoy to Christian World as Christian Population Reaches 184,200
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 21
Summary
George Deek, a former ambassador to Azerbaijan, has taken up Israel’s newly created envoy-to-the-Christian-world post after the Foreign Ministry announced the role in April.
184,200 Christians lived in Israel as of December 2025—1.9% of the population—while Deek said the community has grown from 34,000 in 1948 and now worships in about 300 churches.
Deek said the post is meant to deepen ties with Christian leaders worldwide, reflect Christianity’s bond to the Holy Land and reinforce Christian-Jewish relations amid rising antisemitism.
Several recent attacks on Christian symbols and a nun were isolated but serious, Deek said, adding that Israeli leaders condemned them and the perpetrators in two cited cases were jailed.
Deek contrasted Israel with a wider Middle East where Christian communities have sharply declined, arguing Israel is the region’s only country where Christians are growing and practicing freely.