Jerusalem Patriarch Asks Trump to Protect Christians in Southern Lebanon

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem visited the White House this week and asked U.S. President Donald Trump to guarantee the safety of Christian villages in southern Lebanon, it was reported this morning, Thursday, on Habetoker Hazeh on Kan News, Reshet Bet. The cleric also called on Trump to pressure Syrian President al-Sharaa to improve treatment of Christians in his country.

Roei Kais reported on Reshet Bet that Patriarch Theophilos III met with Trump accompanied by his aides, the Mugrabi brothers. The focus of this unusual meeting was the situation of Christians in the region. People familiar with the details of the meeting said the Christian patriarch raised with the American president his concern for the fate of Christians in villages in southern Lebanon that have not yet been evacuated in the aftermath of the war.

The concern raised by the patriarch was that the Shiite population might settle scores with them for not evacuating, unlike others, and accuse them of cooperating with Israel. For that reason, the patriarch tried to enlist Trump on the issue during the meeting. Those sources added that the impression was that Trump was attentive to the matter and taking it into account.

Kan News also reported that during the meeting, Theophilos III asked Trump to use his influence on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to improve the situation of the Christian minority in his country, which has at times suffered restrictions on its freedoms despite the authorities' efforts to present an outward image of religious freedom in post-Assad Syria.