Editing Openai/68cb1119-3ba8-800a-9fe6-77c5599d54ad (section)

=== Assistant: I did a dive for LDS / Mormon sources in or about Israel / local branches to see if there were statements more specific… ===
I did a dive for LDS / Mormon sources in or about Israel / local branches to see if there were statements more specific to the modern State of Israel (beyond global Church statements). Here’s what I found, plus how significant it is. ❤️

==== 1. “Israel — Facts & Statistics” page (LDS / Portuguese‑language site) - The Church has “several branches (small congregations)” operating in Israel, including notable ones like the Galilee branch (Tiberias) and the branch in Jerusalem. noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org<ref>{{cite web|title=noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org|url=https://noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org/fatos-e-estatisticas/pa%C3%ADs/israel|publisher=noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref> - Worship meetings are held on Saturday, which aligns with the Jewish Shabbat, respecting local religious‑sensitivities. noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org<ref>{{cite web|title=noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org|url=https://noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org/fatos-e-estatisticas/pa%C3%ADs/israel|publisher=noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref> - Importantly: proselytism (missionary work) is ''not'' allowed in Israel, and the LDS Church abides by this legal / governmental norm. noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org<ref>{{cite web|title=noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org|url=https://noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org/fatos-e-estatisticas/pa%C3%ADs/israel|publisher=noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref> - Also notes that BYU (Brigham Young University) has a Jerusalem Center that offers courses in Biblical, Arab‑Israeli, and modern/ancient languages; but that center is for foreign students. noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org<ref>{{cite web|title=noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org|url=https://noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org/fatos-e-estatisticas/pa%C3%ADs/israel|publisher=noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref> ====
# Non‑Proselyting Agreement for the BYU Jerusalem Center - The Church (via its BYU Jerusalem Center) has a “Statement of Commitment Regarding Proselyting” to clarify that it will not proselytize while operating in Jerusalem / the Holy Land. jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu|url=https://jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu/sites/jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu/files/non-proselytizingagreement.pdf|publisher=jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref> - This is a formal document, signaling sensitivity to local laws, religious norms, and interfaith relations. jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu|url=https://jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu/sites/jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu/files/non-proselytizingagreement.pdf|publisher=jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref>

==== - Neither the local Israeli LDS branches / websites nor the BYU Jerusalem Center appear to issue political statements about the State of Israel’s policies, territorial disputes, or about Israel‑Palestinian governance. Their statements are more about how the Church operates locally (what is permitted, what is not, worship norms, etc.). ====
* The focus is on respecting host‐country laws (specific example: proselytism being disallowed), and on Church presence, congregational life, and educational efforts (like study of languages, biblical / Israeli‑Arab history).
* There’s no indication in these local sources of condemnation or praise of Israeli government actions (e.g. military, settlement policy, border policy, etc.), nor specific calls for political changes.

==== Putting this together with what the Church’s global statements do, a few things become clearer: ====
* The Church is consistent in obeying local laws and norms where it has branches (in Israel, proselytizing is restricted/forbidden, so Church complies).
* There is an effort to maintain a neutral/non‑political posture locally, especially in a region of high sensitivity. The church presence emphasizes worship, education, community, not political activism.
* The existence of a non‑proselyting agreement for the Center in Jerusalem suggests that the Church anticipates concern or controversy, and is proactively setting expectations (that its educational work is not evangelizing in the local population).

If you like, I can try to find statements in Hebrew or Arabic from local LDS leaders (in Jerusalem / Tel Aviv / Palestinian areas) to see whether there are less publicized remarks in those languages that might be more political or more context‑specific. Do you want me to search in those languages?