Father Abdullah Yulio, with his national voice transcending sectarian divisions, stands as a witness to the deep roots of Christian identity in the Palestinian land. Yulio believes that Christians in Palestine are the legitimate heirs of the Arab Christians who defended the region since the dawn of history, emphasizing that the local church speaks and prays in Arabic and considers the Palestinian cause its spiritual and existential compass.
Yulio warns of an Israeli project that seeks to fragment the social fabric by inciting sectarian strife and portraying Christians as a persecuted minority, paving the way for their displacement. He points out that soft social isolation policies, which separate neighbors through sectarian institutions, aim to break the unity of destiny that was manifested in the sacrifices of national figures such as Archbishop Hilarion Capucci and the martyr Shireen Abu Akleh.
For his part, Hassan Khater, head of the International Jerusalem Center, confirms that attacks on Christian holy sites follow the same methodology used against Islamic holy sites. He explained that the occupation targeted more than 500 destroyed villages during the Nakba, and sources have recorded more than 120 documented attacks on churches and monasteries, including burning, theft, and looting, since 1948.
The confiscation of church properties and their vast lands is one of the most dangerous tools of conflict, as the endowments of the Orthodox Church, estimated at 80,000 dunams, are subjected to fraud and forgery. Khater describes these operations as systematic attempts to empty the land of its owners, considering that the survival of stones without people is the greatest aggression against the authentic Christian presence.
Experts link the systematic looting of land with the sharp demographic decline of Christians in historical Palestine. After their percentage ranged between 11% and 14% before 1948, it has now fallen to less than 1%, which reflects the success of the policies of restriction and forced displacement practiced by the occupation for eight decades.
The forms of daily violations in occupied Jerusalem vary, where clergy are subjected to spitting, egg-throwing, and beating by settlers. These attacks occur under the cover of organized policies of the occupation state that seeks to impose a purely Jewish character on the holy city, ignoring the historical rights of Muslims and Christians alike.
In a related context, Omar Awadallah, a member of the Presidential Higher Committee for Church Affairs, believes that Israel seeks to transform the conflict from its national political character into a confined religious conflict. He stresses that targeting Christians falls within the project of extermination or forced displacement, emphasizing that Christians are the "living stones" that protect Palestinian identity from falsification.
The Presidential Committee documented egregious attacks, including targeting nuns because of their religious attire, and encroaching on lands in Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and Silwan. The committee works at the international level to explain the reality of the persecution experienced by Palestinian Christians, emphasizing that suffering does not differentiate between one citizen and another based on their religious belief.
Palestinian institutions are fighting an intellectual battle against the "Christian Zionism" movement, which attempts to distort Christian doctrine to serve the goals of the occupation. Officials stress that this movement is alien to the values of Eastern Christianity, which calls for justice and peace, and has no connection to the teachings of Jesus Christ, which are believed by the children of the national churches.
Statistical figures reflect a tragic reality, as the number of Christians in the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem has decreased to only about 47,000 people according to the 2017 census. The Christian population is currently concentrated in the Bethlehem Governorate, followed by Ramallah and East Jerusalem, while the Christian presence in the Gaza Strip faces the risk of complete extinction due to the ongoing war of extermination.
During the recent war on Gaza, churches were not spared from direct shelling, as the occupation targeted the Baptist Church and the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius. These attacks resulted in the martyrdom of dozens of civilians who sought refuge in houses of God for safety, proving that the Israeli war machine does not value the sanctity of holy places.
In a tragic incident inside the Latin Church of the Holy Family, an Israeli sniper killed a mother and her daughter in cold blood, a crime that shook international church circles. The shelling of the same church was repeated in July 2024, leading to more casualties and injuries among the displaced and the priest responsible for the parish, amid international demands for an investigation.
As for the West Bank, settler attacks have become daily news affecting cemeteries and monasteries in Christian towns such as Taybeh and Beit Jala. These attacks coincide with legal and coercive attempts to seize historical properties in the heart of old Jerusalem, aiming to change the demographic and geographical character of the city in favor of settlers.
In conclusion, Christian steadfastness in Palestine remains an integral part of the comprehensive national steadfastness in the face of occupation. Despite declining numbers and pressures of displacement, national churches insist on remaining as guardians of history and identity, emphasizing that the unity of destiny among the people is the only guarantee to confront projects of liquidation and displacement.
My church is no longer confined to a place; it is all the streets and all the people, and it is my duty to protect Al-Aqsa just as a Muslim protects the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
شارك برأيك
Christians in Palestine: Eight Decades of Steadfastness in the Face of Displacement Attempts and Identity Falsification