Israel threatens to pull evangelical Christian TV station aimed at Jews

State forbids preaching to under-18s without parents’ permission

Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem
Sun 10 May 2020 07.02 BST
Last modified on Sun 10 May 2020 07.10 BST

The Israeli government is threatening to take off air a Christian television channel that launched in the country to preach to Jews, warning that it will be barred if it breaks strict rules around proselytising.

GOD TV, an evangelical media network that broadcasts across the world, signed a seven-year deal with a major Israeli cable television provider, HOT, to host its new Hebrew-language channel that began airing last month.

In a video message, Ward Simpson, the CEO of God TV, said: “God has supernaturally opened the door for us to take the gospel of Jesus into the homes, and lives and hearts of his Jewish people.”

Many in the Jewish state see the conversion of Jews as a threat to the relatively small global population as well as their majority status within Israel. While the country’s laws do not place an outright ban on proselytising, it is forbidden to preach to a person under 18 without the consent of a parent.

Myriad evangelical charities and organisations are active in Israel but clearly state they are against missionary work, even if many carry it out quietly.

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