Earlier in the week, a Muslim terrorist killed 12 people at a Christmas market in Berlin just shortly after ISIS released a list of churches they plan to target on Christmas. In solidarity with the Christians who find themselves particularly targeted by "the forces of intolerance, of barbarism," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued the above video statement wishing his Christian "brothers and sisters" a "Merry Christmas." 

Netanyahu gave his statement from the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) and also spoke of the "barbarism" both Jews and Christians find themselves besieged by. ICEJ Executive Director Dr. Jürgen Bühler responded to Netanyahu’s statement by wishing the Jewish people a "Happy Hanukkah" and gifting him a silver Hanukkah dreidel.

"It was a great honor to host the Prime Minister at our Embassy headquarters and to receive his good holiday wishes for Christmas,” said Bühler. "This indeed is a season when both communities can celebrate the triumph of light over darkness. And this timely display of solidarity shows once more that Israel is a country where religious freedoms are not only safeguarded but even encouraged."

The statement in full:

I send you these greetings from Jerusalem. I'm standing in the courtyard of this magnificent International Christian Embassy. I'm so proud of our relations with our Christian brothers and sisters. I wonder for many of you if you remember the experience you had when you first visited Israel, when you saw the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or the Via Dolorosa or the Sea of Galilee or Nazareth. I'm sure it moved you deeply.

And it moves us deeply to have this bond with you because we all know that this land of Israel is the land of our common heritage. It changed the story of humanity, it changed civilization. What a magnificent heritage it is. Yet, we also know that it is under attack these days, that the forces of intolerance, of barbarism that attack all religions attack Christians with particular vehemence. We stand with you and I'm proud of the fact that in Israel, this is the one place in the Middle East that the Christian community not only survives but thrives and it's no accident. It’s because of our commitment to religious freedom; it's because of our embrace of our heritage; it's because of our embrace of our common future.