Palestinians are quite adept at cynically exploiting clashes in Bethlehem between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers to take advantage of the UK media’s appetite for Christmas–themed narratives of the conflict.
Sometimes, they even drag Santa Claus into the mix.
Here’s a photo published at the Financial Times – the British equivalent of the U.S.-based Wall Street Journal, which largely focuses on international business and economic news – two years ago, Dec. 20, 2013.
Here’s a photo published at the Financial Times last year, Dec. 19th, 2014
Now, here’s a Financial Times photo diary published just yesterday – Dec. 19, 2015.
So, for three years in a row the Financial Times has amplified Palestinian efforts to misleadingly suggest that Israel is oppressing Christians in the city believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
Of course, such narratives obscure the fact that whilst Christians face unprecedented persecution in Muslim majority countries, Israel, the only majority Jewish country, is the only regional safe-haven for Christians. Indeed, Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the indigenous Christian population is actually growing.
Evidently, Israel’s progressive advantage in the area of religious freedom isn’t the Christmas picture Financial Times editors want you to see.
