Originally published at The Crux
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Israel’s new special envoy to the Christian community has said he envisions a future in which all faiths live and grow harmoniously in the Middle East, but admitted there are bumps in the road.
Speaking to Crux Now, Special Envoy of Israel to the Christian World George Deek lamented that Christianity is shrinking in the Middle East as a whole, but lauded its growth in Israel, saying, “Israel tells a different story.”
“Preserving the Christian presence is not only a Christian issue. It is a test of the moral future of the Middle East. Will this region protect difference, or will it continue to drive difference out?” he said.
Deek, who last month was appointed to his new post and himself is an Arab Christian, said his own answer to the question he posed is that “Christians belong here. Jews belong here. Muslims belong here.”
“The Holy Land should not become a place where ancient communities survive only in memory. It should be a place where they live, serve, pray, and build the future together,” he said, saying Christians are “not only part of the history of the Holy Land, they are living communities.”
He addressed tensions following the
