Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a first-of-its-kind Christian media summit in Jerusalem, Oct. 16, 2017. Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom / GPO.

JNS.org – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday welcomed representatives from about 70 Christian media outlets as they convened in Jerusalem for a first-of-its-kind summit.

“You know, you are joining us as we celebrate 50 years since the holy city was liberated and united; 50 years of religious freedom for all,” Netanyahu said at the Israel Museum.

“You know that because you walk around, you go to the holy sites, you go to the churches, others go to the mosques, and you know this is a free city,” he said, adding he looked forward “to the day when the embassies of all your countries move to Jerusalem.”

Israel has “no better friends” in the world than Christian communities, Netanyahu said.

“Israel is the one country in a vast region where Christians not only survive, they thrive,” the prime minister said.

The four-day event — sponsored by Israel’s Government Press Office, Foreign Ministry and Jerusalem Affairs Ministry — involves the participation of 140 Christian media associates.

During their time in Israel, participants will engage in conference sessions on topics related to news coverage of the Jewish state, and will visit various sites including Gush Etzion (Israel’s largest bloc of communities in Judea and Samaria), Bethlehem and Jerusalem’s Friends of Zion Museum.