Israeli Diplomat's Armenian Heritage Used in Political PR Strategy
Israel’s PR instrumentalizes a diplomat’s Armenian and Arab Christian lineage
The Armenian Weekly examines how Israel has instrumentalized an Arab Christian diplomat with Armenian ancestry in its public relations efforts. George Deek, born in 1984, serves as Israel's Special Envoy to the Christian World and previously as ambassador to Azerbaijan. His paternal great-grandmother was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, a fact Deek has publicly acknowledged on social media.
The article contrasts Deek's July 2023 statements about Christians thriving in Israeli society with documented incidents of harassment against Armenian clergy in Jerusalem, including reports of attacks on the Armenian Cathedral of St. James. The piece argues that Deek's appointment and public statements represent a broader pattern of states deploying individuals whose identities can be selectively used to legitimize political narratives, particularly when those narratives contradict on-the-ground realities.
