Israel said its Christian population was on the rise, days after the Anglican Church spoke of a
"concerted attempt"
by
"radical groups"
to oust it.
Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics said on Saturday that 182,000 Christians were living in the country, up 1.4% from last year.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the head of the Anglican Church, angered Israel by denouncing, along with the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naum, a
"steady decline"
in the number of Christians in East Jerusalem.
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"Church leaders estimate that there are fewer than 2,000 Christians left in the Old City of Jerusalem today,"
the two men wrote in a column published by The
Sunday Times
on
Sunday
. They ruled that the current
"increase in physical and verbal violence against the Christian clergy, and the vandalism of holy places by marginal and radical groups"
constituted a "concerted attempt" to remove Christians from Israel. Their platform followed an appeal on December 13 from Christian leaders in Jerusalem who claimed that
"radical groups continue to acquire strategic real estate in the Christian quarter, with the aim of lowering the proportion of Christians."
The Israeli Foreign Ministry replied that these accusations were
"baseless and distort the reality of the Christian community in Israel". "The Christian population in Israel - including that of Jerusalem - enjoys full freedom of religion and belief, is growing steadily, and is part of that unique patchwork that is Israeli society,"
according to a ministry statement Monday. Israel took East Jerusalem, which includes the Old City, from Jordan in 1967 and annexed it, a move that has gone unrecognized by most of the international community.
Jerusalem is home to sacred Christian sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where believers believe Christ was crucified and buried. Justin Welby and Hosam Naoum said Palestinian Christians were leaving the Israeli-occupied West Bank because of
"increasing settler communities"
and restrictions on movement. The Foreign Ministry assured that Israel
"defends the freedom of religion and belief for all religions, as well as the freedom of access to holy places". "The statements by Church leaders in Jerusalem are particularly appalling in view of their silence on the plight of many Christian communities in the Middle East who suffer from discrimination and persecution,"
the ministry added.
