Jerusalem, 10 February, 2026 (TPS-IL) — At the 15th Council of Heads of Religions conference held on Monday in Nazareth, at the initiative of the Ministry of the Interior and the Religious Denominations Division of the Ministry of the Interior, a joint statement was signed by senior religious leaders in Israel in Hebrew, Arabic, and English, in which they call on the Israeli public to promote peace in Israel and maintain coexistence.
During the conference, roundtables and discussions were held on the issue of polarization in the country, its effects, and ways to deal with these issues. The leaders presented the conclusions of the discussions and noted the importance of coming together in order to utilize the power they have and influence public opinion in Israel, not only through the declaration but also through actions, promoting initiatives and activities to strengthen peace, brotherhood, and unity in the country.
The conference, was attended by MK Sharon Haskel, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Director General of the Ministry of the Interior Israel Ozan, religious leaders in Israel, including, among others, Rabbi Kalman Bar Shlita, Chief Rabbi of Israel, member of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weiss, the spiritual leader of the Druze community and chairman of the Druze Supreme Religious Council Sheikh Mufak Tarif, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierre Battista Fitzwilliam, head of the Greek Catholic Church, Qadi of the Muslim Sharia Court of Appeals Dr. Iyad Zahlaqa, Archbishop Yosef Meta, head of the Greek Catholic Church in Israel, Archbishop Hussam Naum, head of the Anglican Church in Israel, representatives of the Custody and the Armenian Patriarch, the Coptic Church And led by the Director of the Administration for Special Positions at the Ministry of the Interior, Lior Shahar, and the Director of the Senior Division for Religious Denominations at the Ministry of the Interior, Iyad Sarhan, representatives of the denominations and other dignitaries.