Palestinian Christians Urge American Evangelicals to Recognize Their Suffering
Qwenews.com – Father Munther Isaac draws upon two millennia of Christian tradition as he teaches and spreads the message of Jesus Christ. Yet the priest worries that the very locations where Christ was born and crucified may encounter increasingly difficult times. This concern stems not solely from the continuing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, but also from decisions made by certain fellow believers. Christians in Jerusalem endure both verbal hostility and physical assaults nearly every day, according to Isaac. He maintains that Palestinian Christians remain largely overlooked by American evangelicals who champion the idea of returning the Holy Land to Jewish people.
Streaming now: Clarissa Ward travels from Jerusalem to the occupied West Bank to see how Israeli ultranationalist extremism is reshaping Christianity in the Holy Land. Upgrade to watch now.
A Call for Awareness
Isaac, alongside Father Bashar Fawadleh from Taybeh—the final completely Christian settlement in the occupied West Bank—along with other religious leaders, extend an invitation: “Come and see.” They emphasize that visitors who witness the barriers, observe settlements, and connect with families fighting for survival often experience a transformation in understanding.
Our experience has been when pastors and lay people come to Palestine, see the walls, see the settlements, meet with families struggling just to survive in their land — that’s when their eyes are opened, Isaac said.
These religious figures aim to connect with evangelicals influenced by Christian Zionism, a movement interpreting the modern Israeli state as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. However, they contend this perspective overlooks Palestinian Christian communities and contradicts the core Christian principle of loving one’s neighbor.
Theology has been weaponized, Isaac said. These are Christians who are funding and supporting the major threat on our existence in the land today.
Changing Landscape
Isaac, now 47 years old, grew up in Beit Sahour, a Christian community near Bethlehem. Jewish settlements have expanded across much of the territory where he spent his childhood playing. He can no longer walk the few miles from his Bethlehem home to reach ancient churches, temples, and mosques in Jerusalem.
Israel’s separation wall, standing 26 feet tall and originally constructed during the Second Intifada to prevent suicide bombers from easily reaching Jerusalem, now surrounds the West Bank town. Over the past year, Israel has intensified its efforts to build on Palestinian territory. This expansion has compelled many Muslims to relocate and has further divided approximately 50,000 Christians residing in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Fawadleh reported that more than 90 residents departed Taybeh—referred to as Ephraim in the Gospel of John—during the previous three years. The town currently houses roughly 1,200 inhabitants, with numbers potentially declining further. Parishioners express fear about harvesting olives from their groves, while Roland Bassir noted that his cement factory near Taybeh faces daily attacks from settlers.
If I have the opportunity to leave, I would leave and not stay in this town, because there is no future for me or my children, he said.
Moral and Financial Support for Settlements
Christian leaders find it troubling that moral and financial backing for settlement expansion originates from many adherents of Christian Zionism. In January, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem released a declaration characterizing this ideology as damaging. Christian Zionists interpret Scripture as directing them to support Jewish communities throughout the Holy Land, believing this will accelerate Christ’s Second Coming, the end of the world, and the transition to eternal life for Christians.
Two prominent faith-based organizations backing Israeli settlements are the US-based Christians United for Israel (CUFI) and Christian Friends of Israeli Communities (CFOIC). Both groups emphasize Bible verses in their missions. CFOIC states it assists 80 Israeli communities in the occupied West Bank, referring to them by their Biblical names: Judea and Samaria. The organization’s website encourages supporters to “give generously, so that the communities of Biblical Israel may flourish.”
Kimberly Troup, who directs CFOIC’s US office, told CNN she maintains friendships with a Bethlehem pastor and recognizes that Palestinian Christians departed the city due to Muslim persecution rather than Israeli actions. In an email correspondence, she explained:
Christian Zionism is an authentic expression of Biblical beliefs grounded in the Bible, which, as Christians, we believe is the word of God. Being a Christian Zionist means following God’s word as stated in the Bible that He gave the Land of Israel to the Jewish people.
