Israel Threatens Christian Presence in Occupied Territories Through a Series of Measures

Khoury: We call on the world and churches to intervene urgently to stop these serious violations. Ramallah - Bethlehem - "Al-Quds" dot com - Israel is making every effort to end the Christian presence in the Palestinian territories, as Christians have been a fundamental component of the Palestinian people throughout history. Jesus Christ was born in Palestine, lived there, and died on its soil, and thus their presence expresses an advanced state of struggle inherited by Christians from Jesus Christ, glory be to Him. In a rapidly recurring scene, the Christian presence in the Holy Land, the cradle of Christianity, is declining under the weight of a systematic settlement policy affecting the city of Bethlehem, the capital of Christmas, and Jerusalem, the cradle of the three religions, through a series of deliberate Israeli measures. Official Palestinian sources had confirmed that Israel continues to destroy the demographic and historical fabric of Christians by approving the construction of new settlement units, tightening the noose on Christian church institutions in Jerusalem, and imposing exorbitant taxes on them to the extent that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was closed, but with concerted efforts, the Israeli decision was recently canceled, in practices described as "silent ethnic cleansing" aimed at uprooting Christians from their historical roots. In a report prepared by journalist Wasel Al-Khatib, the Presidential Higher Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine stated: The occupation authorities approved the construction of new settlement units in Bethlehem Governorate, as part of a wide settlement wave that included the West Bank, where the establishment and legalization of 34 new settlements were approved last April, distributed among various governorates, especially Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Hebron. The targeting of the Christian presence was not limited to settlement expansion and economic pressures but extended to include the Old City of Jerusalem, especially the Jaffa Gate area, the Christian Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter, where attempts to restrict residents, institutions, and churches are escalating, as part of policies aimed at weakening the historical Christian presence and changing the demographic and cultural character of the Holy City. Church properties, citizens, and clergy are also subjected to a continuous series of assaults and provocations, in addition to attempts to seize historical properties surrounding Jaffa Gate, which constitutes a direct threat to the Christian heritage in Jerusalem. Restrictions on freedom of worship and access to holy sites continue, by limiting the participation of believers in the Holy Fire celebrations and imposing restrictions on worshipers' access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during holidays, which deprives thousands of Palestinian Christians of practicing their religious rituals freely on their holiest occasions. This was accompanied by the continued obstacles faced by Palestinian Christians and Muslims in obtaining the necessary permits to access Jerusalem, which affects one of the fundamental rights guaranteed by international law, namely freedom of worship. In the same context, Israeli policies impose increasing restrictions on granting visas to clergy and workers in church institutions, in addition to the complexities associated with family reunification procedures for Palestinian families, which leads to a reduction in the Christian presence in Palestine and limits the ability of churches to perform their spiritual, humanitarian, educational, and social mission. The churches confirm that these measures contribute to pushing more Christian families to emigrate, threatening the continuity of the historical Christian presence in the Holy Land. This targeting also includes repeated attacks on Christian clergy, and incidents of desecration and vandalism affecting churches, cemeteries, and monasteries, in addition to violations targeting Islamic and Christian holy sites alike, foremost among them the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, amid escalating incursions, attacks, and measures affecting the historical and legal status of holy sites in Jerusalem, which constitutes a violation of freedom of worship and relevant international law and agreements. In his comment on this, Dr. Ramzi Khoury, Head of the Presidential Higher Committee for Church Affairs, described these policies as an "open war on the Christian presence," stressing that "Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, has become besieged by more than 150 military checkpoints and settlement outposts, depriving the city of its Arab Palestinian identity and severing its people's connection to their land." Khoury added that "settlement in Bethlehem is no longer just expansion, but has become a deliberate policy to change geographical and demographic features, with the aim of separating the city from its Palestinian surroundings and isolating it from Jerusalem, threatening to turn this historical city into an isolated enclave, with no place for its Christian people who have been an integral part of its fabric for two thousand years." In Jerusalem, the Presidential Higher Committee for Church Affairs revealed a serious escalation in the tightening of restrictions on the Orthodox Patriarchate and all churches in Jerusalem, by imposing unjust and exorbitant taxes (Arnona) on their properties, including freezing the accounts of patriarchates and seizing church funds, amid measures considered a blatant violation of the historical and legal status quo of churches in the Holy City. Khoury pointed out that "these unjust taxes, which were imposed suddenly, come as part of a broader campaign targeting churches, and also include freezing the accounts of the Patriarchate, and seizing the properties of the Armenian Church, which are measures not aimed at collecting money, but at burdening Christian institutions and pushing them to leave Jerusalem." The Head of the Presidential Higher Committee for Church Affairs affirmed that "what is happening is a systematic targeting of the churches' ability to withstand the occupation policies, which aim to Judaize Jerusalem and change its Arab, Christian, and Islamic identity." He added: "We call on the international community and churches around the world to intervene urgently to stop these serious violations that affect freedom of worship and the Christian presence in the holiest cities in the world." The concerns of the Presidential Committee are based on historical and demographic data, confirming that the Christian presence in historical Palestine has suffered a significant decline as a result of the occupation. The committee had previously stated that Christians constituted about 12.5% of the population of historical Palestine before the Nakba in 1948, but their percentage today does not exceed 1.2%, a decline whose causes the committee described as "a direct result of Israeli ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, land confiscation, and systematic repression." Reports indicate that the city of Bethlehem, where Christians constituted an overwhelming majority of its population, is witnessing a continuous decline in their numbers today, due to the pressure of settlements and military checkpoints that isolate the city and make life there unbearable, pushing many Christian families to emigrate in search of a safe future for their children. In this context, Khoury called on the international community, especially global churches, the Security Council, and the United Nations, to assume their responsibilities towards protecting the Christian presence in Palestine and stopping the "settlement aggression" in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. He stressed that "defending the Christian presence in Palestine is not just a local matter, but a global humanitarian, ethical, and legal issue." These developments come at a time when the West Bank is witnessing an unprecedented escalation in settlement operations, as the Israeli organization "Peace Now" revealed that the recent decision to legalize 34 new settlement outposts, including outposts in Bethlehem, is the largest of its kind in years, and aims to "create an integrated geographical settlement continuum that connects settlements, divides the West Bank into isolated cantons, and eliminates any chance of establishing a viable Palestinian state."