Claim: Under Netanyahu, violence against Christians in Israel is being normalized.

Question

Christian leaders in Jerusalem say Israeli attackers felt more emboldened under the far-right ruling coalition.

Answer 1

This claim is potentially false and misleading for a couple of reasons. 

First of all, according to an article title "How Reliable Is Al Jazeera," it is stated that "Al Jazeera exhibits bias against Israel and right-wing ideologies. AllSides also notes the presence of anti-Western, anti-Israel, and anti-Shia biases." Furthermore, it is noted in the article that "The company’s ownership is perhaps the biggest point of contention. The government of Qatar is the primary funder of Al Jazeera. Critics suggest that the Qatari government directly influences the news organization’s output."

https://www.thefactual.com/blog/how-reliable-is-al-jazeera/ 

Secondly, It is not far fetched to say that this news outlet has motive and biases to talk badly about Israelis, especially when taking into account the knowledge that the current Israeli government is right winged and that Qatar is a majority Muslim country that is one of the biggest supporters of Palestine.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/26/qatar-is-using-the-palestinians-to-assert-its-regional-influence/ 

Lastly, majority of the sources stating that Christians are experiencing violence in Jerusalem exclaim that there has been cases of violence/vandalism this year, but it is nothing new. Christian leaders are mainly upset because it seems that there is nothing being done about it. 

Comments

Interesting information regarding Al Jazeera. So you believe that they are reporting this alone and are biased? I'm finding Israeli media and mainstream media report similar content though. Maybe the claim's wording is misleading, but it appears to be true that crime against Christians are on the rise there.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-03-26/ty-article/.premium/anti-christian-hate-crimes-in-jerusalem-soaring-this-year/00000187-1b89-d4ca-afff-1b89bd020000
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/02/04/in-jerusalem-attacks-on-christians-are-on-the-rise_6014400_4.html

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The articles you cite are simply anecdotal,  entirely devoid of objective measures of any kind that would add weight one way or another to the claim that anti-Christian crime rate has increased under Netanyahu.

Answer 2

According to a NBC article “The frequency of these attacks, the aggressions, has become something new,” Pizzaballa said during Easter week from his office, tucked in the limestone passageways of the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. “These people feel they are protected … that the cultural and political atmosphere now can justify, or tolerate, actions against Christians.”

This demonstrates that the hostility toward Christians is very recent and has become the norm under new management.

Attacks on Christians Rise Under Israel’s Far-Right Government – NECN

Comments

The article you cite is full of anecdotes, but void entirely of data over time, or any research whatsoever, that would add weight one way or another to the claim that anti-Christian crime rate has increased under Netanyahu.

Answer 3

According to Towards Freedom, there is a visible rise in crime inside Israel against Christians and Christian imagery. They also list members of the Israeli government that hold Jewish supremacy beliefs, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. However, it is an opinionated statement to say that this is the 'norm'. Many Israelis are outraged by the attacks, and while horrifying, these attacks are still low in numbers. This is absolutely an alarming trend, but calling it a 'norm' is an opinion.

https://towardfreedom.org/story/archives/west-asia/jerusalems-christians-attribute-rise-in-violence-to-israels-new-government/

Comments

The article you cite is full of anecdotes, but void entirely of data over time, or any research whatsoever, that would add weight one way or another to the claim that anti-Christian crime rate has increased under Netanyahu.

Answer 4

In the past, there have been reports of tensions between religious groups in Israel, with some incidents of violence and vandalism targeting Christian and Muslim holy sites.

Protecting Holy Land Christians tracks violence against christians, and they corroborate the claim that the attacks have risen

https://protectingholylandchristians.org/threats/

Some critics argue that the far-right elements in Israeli politics, including those associated with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have created an environment that encourages such incidents. However, it is difficult to definitively prove a direct correlation between any specific political coalition and an increase in violence against a particular religious group.

I would classify the claim as "Exaggerated/Misleading," because although there may be some truth to the assertion that far-right elements in Israeli politics contribute to tensions between religious groups, it is not accurate to say that violence against Christians is being "normalized" under any specific political leadership.

Answer 5

Claims from all "news" sources on this subject, such as this hit piece by Islamist Al Jazeera, are all anecdotal, entirely devoid of all objective measures, and any research whatsoever, that would add weight one way or another to the claim that the anti-Christian crime rate has increased under this latest Netanyahu-led government. Under Netanyahu-led governments since 2009, crime statistics overall have been trending down significantly https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/VC.IHR.PSRC.P5?locations=IL.

Additionally, it is ironic, in a country where Islamist execution-style murders, car rammings, terrorism, missiles fired day after day, year after year indiscriminately targeting population centers of all Israelis, of all religions, ethnicities, and races, that the Islamist and Israel-hating media choose to liberally libel Israel about alleged anti-Christian "crimes" such as spitting, graffiti, and vandalism. https://www.timesofisrael.com/one-killed-in-rehovot-several-hurt-as-gaza-rockets-manage-to-pierce-iron-dome/