Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem: Spat on by Israelis
In a widely noted conversation with Tucker Carlson, the spotlight is turned toward a frequently overlooked group in the Middle East conflict: the historic Christian communities of the Holy Land. Through interviews with, among others, the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum, a picture emerges of a rapidly deteriorating situation marked by population decline, religious extremism, and political vulnerability. The conversation challenges established Western narratives and highlights a reality in which Christians in the region are struggling for survival amid a violent and polarized landscape.
Archbishop Hosam Naoum – identity and historical continuity
In the interview, Hosam Naoum offers a personal and historically grounded account of his identity and mission. He was born in Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus, in Galilee, and his father was a carpenter—a detail he himself emphasizes as symbolically significant. Naoum is an Israeli citizen but identifies as Palestinian, and he stresses that he belongs to a Christian presence in the region that stretches back more than two thousand years. For him, local Christians are not a minority in the modern sense, but indigenous communities whose roots predate both contemporary nation-states and today’s conflicts.
A rapidly shrinking Christian population
Naoum describes how the Christian population in the Holy Land is in a clear downward spiral. The first major turning point came with the founding of Israel in 1948, followed by further large-scale displacement after the 1967 war. Many Christians were forced to flee and today live as refugees, including in Lebanon. In Bethlehem—perhaps Christianity’s most important city—the number of Christians has, according to Naoum, declined dramatically, from around 100,000 some fifty years ago to fewer than 30,000 today. This development is not described as voluntary migration, but as the result of political pressure, violence, and an uncertain future.
Harassment, extremism, and attacks on churches
A central part of the interview concerns everyday harassment and religiously motivated extremism. Naoum testifies that he personally has been spat on several times in the streets of Jerusalem by religious extremists when wearing his cross and clerical robe.
“Sometimes, if I am wearing my cross and my cassock, I could be spat at,” says Bishop Naoum. He argues that Israeli settler groups are the worst offenders when it comes to this behavior.
He also describes vandalism against churches as well as acts he calls “shameful,” carried out directly in front of church entrances. According to Naoum, there are groups that openly speak of “cleansing” Jerusalem of Christians, which he believes constitutes a direct threat to the city’s religious diversity and historical identity.
Restrictions on religious freedom during Christian holy days
The Archbishop directs sharp criticism at the actions of Israeli authorities during Christian holidays. During Easter, the Israeli police impose extensive restrictions at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. For alleged security reasons, the number of participants in the Holy Fire ceremony is reduced from around 10,000 to as few as 1,500. Naoum notes that similar restrictions over the past four years have also affected celebrations at Mount Tabor. He argues that these measures in practice severely restrict religious freedom for Christian pilgrims and local believers.
Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza
Naoum is also responsible for Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, an Anglican Christian hospital. According to him, the hospital has been bombed eight times during the current war. Despite being an Israeli citizen, he says he has been denied permission to travel to Gaza to visit the hospital and his staff. He describes this as both personally painful and professionally unacceptable, especially given the hospital’s humanitarian mission and Christian character.
Violence against Christians in the West Bank
The situation in the West Bank is described as increasingly unstable even for Christian communities. Naoum reports a sharp rise in violence by Israeli settlers, affecting Christian villages such as Taybeh and Aboud. He recounts a specific incident in which a Christian woman was struck in the head by a stone, and her son was arrested by Israeli police when he tried to defend her. According to Naoum, this illustrates how Christians often find themselves without protection between political and ideological front lines.
Criticism of the West and American churches
The Archbishop expresses deep sorrow and surprise at what he perceives as a betrayal by Western Christians, particularly in the United States. He argues that American churches send large sums of money to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, while very little support reaches Christian communities in cities such as Nazareth and Bethlehem. This, according to Naoum, indirectly contributes to further weakening local Christian communities.
Jordan as a contrast and stabilizing force
As a contrast, Naoum highlights Jordan, where he says he feels both freer and more at home than in his own country, Israel. He emphasizes the official role of the Jordanian king as protector of both Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, which he describes as an important stabilizing factor. In Jordan, he experiences Christians as integrated and respected as a natural part of society, under Muslim protection rather than threat.
A message of responsibility and coexistence
Finally, Naoum delivers a clear message to Christians in the United States and the wider Western world. He urges them not to let their prayers and political engagement contribute to further division, but to pray for all people in the Holy Land. Above all, he calls for concrete support for local Christian congregations, in order to preserve the region’s historical character as a shared home for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
He also says that the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee—who himself is a priest—has not lifted a finger to help Christians in the Holy Land, a holy land where Christianity’s founding figure, Jesus, was crucified.
