Israel has named its first Christian ambassador, George Deek, as special envoy to the Christian world, aiming to deepen ties with communities worldwide, the Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.

A distinguished veteran diplomat who most recently served as Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Deek is a prominent member of the Arab Christian community in Jaffa. His father, Youssef Deek, long served as chairman of the Orthodox Christian community in Jaffa.

“The State of Israel attaches great importance to its relations with the Christian world and with its Christian friends around the world,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a statement. “I am confident that George, a respected and experienced diplomat, will greatly contribute to the friendship and strengthening of the ties between the State of Israel and the Christian world.”

The newly created role at a time of global international turbulence seeks to buttress Israel’s relations with the Christian world.

“This is a very timely and much-needed move by Israel to officially appoint its ranking Arab Christian diplomat as special envoy to the Christian world,” David Parsons, senior vice president and spokesman of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, told JNS. “Given the current war and especially the spread of anti-Zionism in Christian circles, it will definitely help to have an Israeli Arab Christian telling the truth about Israel’s democratic values worldwide.”

“This is a very good step in the right direction and needs to be expanded to facilitate coordination between all government ministries and municipalities dealing with Christian communities,” said David Rosen, former international director of interreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee. “I hope this heralds a deeper understanding by the Government of Israel of how relations with the local Christian communities impact the international standing of both the State of Israel and the well-being of Jewish communities around the world.”

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