Charlie said what the media won’t: Christian holy sites are safe today because they’re under Israeli control. Not under Islamic control, not under Palestinian control, but under the State of Israel that values freedom of worship.
“When Muslims take over countries, Christians are not able to always easily navigate or visit them. That is a fact of life,” Charlie told a student on The American Comeback tour.
Look around the Middle East. Iraq, Syria, Egypt—Christians have been wiped out or driven out. Iraq once had over a million Christians; today, only a few hundred thousand remain. Syria had 1.5 million; now it’s 300,000. In the Holy Land itself, where Jesus walked, you can see the contrast for yourself.
What Happens When Holy Sites Fall Under Islamic Control
Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, is under Arab Muslim control. That means danger for Christians who want to go there. It means Christian pilgrims risk their safety just to see where their Savior was born. People will try to tell you that’s an exaggeration. It’s not. And Charlie knew it.
“Bethlehem, the birthplace of our Lord and Savior, is controlled by the PA, and Muslims have largely taken over Bethlehem and it is very unsafe for Christians to visit Bethlehem,” he once said.
In territories controlled by the Palestinians, schoolbooks erase Christian contributions from history, teaching children that the Holy Land belongs only to Islam. Christian women face harassment, abductions, and forced conversions. In Gaza, many have been pressured to convert and marry Muslim men—with zero legal protection and nowhere to turn for justice.
Those who dare to leave Islam for Christianity live in hiding, worshiping in secret under threat of violence. Christians report Christmas trees being burned, and crosses torn down. Pastors are bullied into repeating anti-Israel talking points. That’s what happens when the Holy Land falls under Islamist control—and it’s exactly why Charlie warned that Israel must remain strong.
Israel: A Safe Haven for Christian Holy Sites
Meanwhile, under Israeli control, Christians can visit the Mount of Beatitudes. They can stand on the shore of Galilee and see the Garden Tomb. They can worship there. They can see the Bible come to life with their own eyes.
That’s one of the main reasons Charlie supported Israel. As a Christian, he believed that being able to visit and verify the physical truth of Scripture matters.
“One of the main reasons why I support Israel, and this is not going to be persuasive to everybody, is that being able to prove that the Bible is true is a very important thing as a Christian,” Charlie told an audience on the Live Free Tour. “There is a non-stop war to destabilize and deconstruct the holy word of God. There has never been an archaeological discovery in Israel that has disproven the Bible. There is a lot of evidence that shows that when Arabs take over holy sites, they do not allow Christians to go to them. And I’ll prove it to you. It’s very hard for Christians to go to the birthplace of Christ, Bethlehem. It’s controlled completely by Arab Muslims. It’s very dangerous. You could still go, but it’s not easy. I think it would be a tragedy that I will not be able to bring my daughter to the Garden to Tomb or the Church of the Holy Sepulcher or the Mount of Olives or the Mount of Biatitudes.”
Charlie’s love for the Bible made it all the more painful for him to see so many Biblical holy sites placed off-limits—or made dangerous—under Palestinian control.
“In Israel, under its current government, if you and I went right now, I could show you where Jesus rose from the dead,” he said. “I can show you where Jesus walked on water. I can show you where Jesus preached the Mount of Beatitudes. I cannot right now safely bring you to the Hall of Patriarchs in Hebron, the Hall of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah because that is largely under Palestinian control. There’s one sliver controlled by the Israeli government.”
That’s the point. Where Israel governs, freedom exists. Where Islamists govern, faith is restricted.
Protecting the Freedom to Worship
Christians should have access to all holy sites. Hebron and Bethlehem. Capernaum, Nazareth, and the Mount of Beatitudes. Places where the Gospel came alive. And when they can’t, when those places fall under Islamic control, it’s a tragedy for every Christian who wants to walk where Jesus did.
Charlie said it plainly: “This holy land must be protected so we can access, that we can worship, that we can prove. And we don’t want a bunch of Muslims taking this place over like they did with Bethlehem.”
Freedom of worship isn’t a slogan. It’s something that must be defended. And Israel, for all its flaws, is the only country in the Middle East that truly protects that freedom. That’s something every Christian should not only acknowledge but give thanks for.
Because if Israel falls — if those holy sites fall into the hands of Hamas, Hezbollah, or the Palestinian Authority — it’s not just a geopolitical loss. It’s a spiritual one.
That’s why Charlie stood with Israel. Because the truth of the Bible is not just written in Scripture — it’s written in the land itself. And that land must be protected, not just for Jews, but for Christians all around the world who still believe.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_VAoT3JR_0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqsKbikd7io
https://tps.co.il/articles/bethlehems-last-christians-face-persecution-violence-and-erasure/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYX0IstPd9s
