Holy Land Patriarch Warns of Christian Persecution by Israeli Government

The head of the Roman Catholic church in the Holy Land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has warned that the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu has made life worse for Christians in the birthplace of Christianity. The region’s 2,000-year-old Christian community has come under increasing attack, with the most rightwing government in Israel’s history emboldening extremists who have harassed clergy and vandalised religious property at a quickening pace. The increase in anti-Christian incidents comes as the Israeli settler movement, galvanised by its allies in government, appears to have seized the moment to expand its enterprise in the contested capital.