Israel has appointed George Deek as its new special envoy to the Christian world, the Foreign Ministry announced. The move is intended to strengthen Israel's ties with Christian communities worldwide. Deek previously served as Israel's ambassador to Azerbaijan and was the country's first Christian ambassador.

Deek, a member of the Arab Christian community in Jaffa, has longstanding ties to Christian communal leadership through his family. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar expressed confidence that Deek's diplomatic experience would help deepen relations and reinforce friendship between Israel and Christian communities globally.

The appointment comes amid recent tensions involving Christian figures and symbols. A soldier was sentenced to prison after smashing a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon, sparking condemnation. In a separate incident, police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass, marking a rare disruption of longstanding tradition.