Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar appointed veteran diplomat George Deek to a newly created role as special envoy to the Christian world, in a move “intended to deepen Israel’s ties with Christian communities around the world,” the ministry announced Thursday, amid a series of damaging scandals.

“The State of Israel attaches great importance to its relations with the Christian world and with its Christian friends around the world,” Sa’ar said expressing confidence that Deek will help repair those ties.

Deek, who most recently served as Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, was the country’s first Christian ambassador and is a member of the Arab Christian community in Jaffa.

Deek’s father, Youssef Deek, served as Chairman of the Orthodox Christian community in Jaffa and Israel, the ministry said.

Despite Israel’s protestations that it values relations with the Christian world, recent months have seen a string of embarrassing scandals and attacks on Christians that have strained Israel’s relations with the Christian community, and highlighted a lack of clear policy.

The incidents also threaten to undermine Israel’s ties with the Evangelical Christian community, who are among Israel’s most ardent supporters internationally.

This was brought into sharp focus last month when Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic official in the Holy Land, and other senior clergy were barred by police from Palm Sunday worship at........

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