The Media Line: Judea and Samaria Boycotts Strong Focus as Thousands Expected at International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem Events  

Judea and Samaria Boycotts Strong Focus as Thousands Expected at International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem Events  

By The Media Line Staff  

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) is bringing thousands of Christian supporters of Israel to Jerusalem for its annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration, while making opposition to European measures targeting products and businesses in Judea and Samaria a focus of this year’s gathering.  

Organizers said more than 2,300 international participants had registered for five days of events in Jerusalem, with overall attendance expected to surpass 3,000 once local participants are included. This year marks the first time since 2013 that the celebration has returned to Jerusalem’s International Convention Center.  

Indonesia is expected to send one of the largest delegations, with 107 participants registered. The United States has 89 registered participants, followed by Germany with 74, Norway with 68 and South Africa with 64. About 50 participants are expected from Bolivia.  

Jurgen Buhler, Executive Director of ICEJ said the turnout is the highest in years, despite higher travel costs and continued perceptions abroad that Israel is unsafe. He described the annual gathering as an important demonstration of continued evangelical Christian support for Israel.  

ICEJ Senior Vice President and Spokesman David Parsons said the organization is also responding to European efforts to restrict and discourage commerce with Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.  

The campaign includes vendors selling wine, artwork, clothing, cosmetics, jewelry and other products from Judea and Samaria at the convention center. Parsons said ICEJ would also take visiting Christians on tours of the area.  

One tour will visit Shiloh and a winery in the Binyamin region, while another will travel to the Gush Etzion bloc. Participants are expected to include Christians from countries including the United Kingdom, Norway and Ireland, where measures targeting Israeli communities or their products have been adopted or considered.  

“There’s a sort of tension here that we don’t want to encourage people to defy the criminal laws of their country,” Parsons said, “but we will encourage Christians to support these communities as best they can.”  

Parsons said the organization also plans to challenge such measures through public advocacy and legal avenues, citing efforts by Christian representatives in Norway, Ireland, and the Netherlands.  

The Feast of Tabernacles program will also feature US Ambassador Mike Huckabee and other Israeli and international speakers. Organizers said attendance has risen sharply since 2024, when about 550 participants from 50 countries attended; last year’s gathering drew about 2,500 people from roughly 70 countries.  

 

Photos Courtesy of ICEJ