The Foreign Ministry on Thursday rejected the accusations of the Christian churches in the Holy Land that Israel was engaged in religious discrimination in who is being allowed into the country while travel to Israel remains restricted due to the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
"The State of Israel rejects and condemns the accusations of any religious discrimination regarding the granting of entry permits into Israel," the ministry said in a statement.
"These unfounded allegations of discriminatory conduct are outrageous, false and dangerous. We expect religious leaders to not engage in and promote baseless discourse of hatred and incitement that only serve to add fuel to the fire of antisemitism and can lead to violence and cause harm to innocent people.
"The renewed outbreak of the coronavirus and the new Omicron variant has led to a change in the regulations and procedures regarding entry to Israel, just as many other countries have done. These changes unfortunately include a ban on tourists entering the country.
"In light of this situation, the Government of Israel established an Exceptions Committee that deals with hundreds of requests every day. The Committee examines each request without bias or discrimination toward any race or religion.
"In recent days, the Exceptions Committee has issued numerous permits, to both Jews and Christians. Some of the approved requests were those that came from the church authorities in Israel, including permits for priests to enter the country for the upcoming Christian holidays.
"The State of Israel prides itself in its ardent devotion to safeguarding and promoting freedom of religion and worship for members of all religions and denominations in the country.
"Israel has an open door policy that allows church leaders to discuss with relevant government officials and authorities a variety of issues, including preparations for Christmas.
"The Israeli government is currently involved in special preparations for Christmas and its surrounding events and ceremonies in order to enable access to holy places for worshippers while ensuring their health and safety.
"We expect religious leaders to renounce hate speech and invite them to continue the regular and fruitful dialogue with the Israeli government," the Health Ministry concluded.