Christian groups to receive rationalized visas from Israel after the diplomatic dispute

The diplomatic dispute triggered by a low -level clerk at the Israel Ministry of the Interior to Visa Requests for Christian organizations was resolved on Monday thanks to a “fruitful cooperation”, said lawyer Calev Myers in Fox News Digital.

“Evangelical Christian organizations active in Israel, which represent the vast majority of Zionists in the world today, will receive all the visas they need thanks to a process of rationalized and effective demand,” he said.

The question burst into the news last week when the United States ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee made public a letter he wrote to the Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, in which he expressed a “great distress” in terms of “the granting of the routine of visas for Christian organizations and workers, as was practiced during the decades”.

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Christian pilgrims carrying wooden crosses cross the old town of Jerusalem to the Saint-Sépulcre church during the Orthodox Friday procession on May 3, 2024. (Ahmad Gharabli / AFP via Getty Images)

According to Huckabee, from the beginning of 2025, the visa department of the Ministry of the Interior ceased to follow the recommendations of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and began to conduct its own surveys on each Christian organization to determine if they should be recognized as “religious institutions” and remain eligible for visas.

He cited as examples of the Baptist Convention of Israel, the Christian Missionary Alliance and the Assemblies of God, noting that the members of these groups have been refused the renewals of their Clergy Visas A3 and are rather required to fulfill long questionnaires on their religious beliefs. Huckabee said the status of their requests remains “under investigation”.

“When supporting Israel in the world – and in the United States – is under pressure, the support of our Christian friends is extremely important”

He also appointed the international Christian Embassy in Jerusalem as another group whose visas were “selected”.

He had threatened that less than modifications were made, “I will not have the choice to ask our consular section to examine the reciprocal treatment options of Israeli citizens looking for visas in the United States.”

The Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabe speaks at Fox News Digital during an interview at the American Embassy in Jerusalem. (Yoav dudkevitch / tps-il)

A source told Fox News Digital that the problem was from a low -level clerk at the Israel Ministry of the Interior who was “not particularly friendly” to the candidates for Christian visa. Consequently, the visa process for the clergy and the volunteers had become “increasingly problematic” and filled with “barriers for years”.

A second source told Fox News Digital that the elements within the Israeli Interior Ministry “are not sympathetic, they do not appreciate the relationship” with the Christian world.

The former Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren told Fox News Digital that he had been involved to help obtain visas for Christian organizations who do “extraordinary and important work” and that there is no reason why they have trouble.

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“When supporting Israel in the world – and in the United States – is under pressure, the support of our Christian friends is extremely important,” said Oren. “They are there through thick and thin – including when the bombs fall on us – and they contribute in many ways. Whether it is to choose grapes, take care of hospitals or prepare meals for soldiers. We must do nothing but appreciate them and make them feel welcome.”

The Ministry of the Interior, responsible for the population and the immigration authority, was led by the Shas Ultra-Orthodox party, a member of the governance coalition of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, until it is removed from the government last week on the issue of conscription in the Israeli army of Ultra-Orthodox men.

Participants agitate Israel and the United States flags in Christians United for the Israeli Summit on July 17, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

According to the first source, the turnover of the leadership of the population and the immigration authority exacerbated the problem. Amos Arbel, the former head of authority and the uncle of the outgoing Minister of the Interior Moshe Arbel, resigned about five years ago. Its replacements have turned into the fast succession position, and the role is currently vacant.

“The absence of a stable leadership allowed a lower rank official – the head of the Visa section – to make unilateral decisions,” said the source. “She regularly ignores the recommendations, including those of the Ministry’s own religious affairs advisor.”

“It’s a chronic problem, and it’s discouraging,” said the source. “This should not take the intervention of someone like Ambassador Huckabee to resolve what should be a routine bureaucratic question.”

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In response, Moshe Arbel sent a letter to Huckabee, reaffirming his “commitment to examining these candidates (for clergy visas) with the greatest efficiency”. He wrote that “immediately after our meeting, I asked all the relevant professional organizations to act in accordance with the understanding that we have affected, and I awarded advisers from my office – directed by the chief of staff – to ensure a personal, continuous and effective response to such requests.”

The Arbel’s office said in a statement to Fox News Digital: “There is no fear of diplomatic repercussions. The problem is treated in a good and friendly manner.”

Orthodox Christians carry wooden crosses along the Dolorosa (way of suffering) in the old town of Jerusalem during the processes of Friday Orthodox on April 14, 2023. (SAEED QAQ / SOPA Images / Lightrocket via Getty Images)

Contacted by Fox News Digital, the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem refused to comment.

At the end of 2024, the Christian population of Israel was estimated at 180,300 – approximately 1.8% of the total population – reflecting an increase of 0.6% compared to 2023, according to data from the Central Statistics Bureau. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the local Christian population is developing.

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David Parsons, vice-president of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, told Fox News Digital that he was “very grateful that the American ambassador intervened on behalf of all Christian organizations.

“It is a pity that this takes this kind of action when the government and the Minister of the Interior should have been playing at the head of the visa section and corrected his bad decisions,” he said.

The former United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman told Fox News that he had spoken to individuals on both sides of the issue and believed that “was a misunderstanding and that Christian groups will get what they need. This does not speak at all of the very important relationship that Israel has with the Christian community,” he said.