A Turning Point to Protect Christianity in Palestine: An Urgent Call for Unity and Action
Christ is Risen!
Let Justice and Hope Rise with Him!
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark… John 20:1a
It is a dark moment for Palestinians. As we approach Easter, a time of renewal and resurrection, we Palestinian Christians stand at a crossroad—one that will determine whether our presence in the land where Christ was born, crucified, and resurrected will endure or fade into history. The threats facing us and all Palestinians—land confiscation, forced displacement, physical assaults and violent arrests, targeted killings, movement restrictions, economic strangulation, and political marginalization— have reached a critical point.
Still, we are told that while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away. We call you now—Christians and people of all faiths and good will—to help us roll away the stone of ethnic cleansing and genocide that, without strong and united vision and actions, could mark the beginning of the end for Christianity in the Holy Land. We cannot and should not allow this to happen.
Gratefully, this year all Christian denominations in Palestine will celebrate Easter together. This rare moment of unity in celebrating Easter must not be symbolic alone; it must become a turning point in our collective struggle to safeguard the Christian presence in historic Palestine.
For centuries, Palestinian Christians have been the living stones and the guardians of Christian faith in the Holy Land. Yet today, our communities are shrinking under cruel and relentless Israeli policies and practices aimed at erasing our presence. The expansion of settlements in Bethlehem, the attacks on Armenian Christian properties in Jerusalem, the takeover of Greek Orthodox Patriarchate land in Palestine and the broader annexation plans threaten to push Palestinian Christians out of their homeland.
Christians in Gaza, along with their Muslim neighbors, continue to face immense suffering during this genocidal war, enduring killings, maiming, and the destruction of their homes, while even their places of worship, like the historic Church of Saint Porphyrius, have been shelled and partly destroyed. Moreover, the destruction of civil infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, including the devastating attack on the Baptist Hospital, has all
made life unbearable. The number of our brothers and sisters has dwindled to such an extent that the future of Christianity in Gaza is now in grave peril, raising fears that the community may soon disappear entirely.
At the same time, rightwing Christians and global Christian Zionist movements are enabling these policies by supporting Israel’s violations against Palestinian rights. Over 3,000 American Christian Zionist pastors have called on U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, disregarding the suffering of all Palestinians and fueling our displacement. The church in the West, especially in the U.S., must expose and challenge this unholy alliance between faith and settler colonial occupation.
We do not exaggerate when we say: If we do not act now—locally, nationally, regionally and internationally—this could be one of the last Easter celebrations with a significant Christian presence in Palestine.
But on that first Easter morning, the stone was rolled away. Easter is a message of hope, victory over death, and the triumph of justice. This is our Gospel, the Good News: No oppressive power can silence
the truth forever.
We call upon all Palestinian Christians, all Palestinians—Christian and Muslim alike—and our global allies to make this Easter a turning point:
To Local Churches in Palestine
Let this Easter be the moment where Christian unity translates into collective resistance. Our churches must stand together in defending our land, our people, and our future. We must support one another to prevent further emigration and ensure that our children and grandchildren can continue to celebrate Easter in the land of resurrection.
To Palestinian Political Leadership
Christianity in Palestine should be a national concern, not a sectarian issue. Protecting Christian presence is protecting Palestine itself. This Easter, Palestinian political leaders must reaffirm their commitment to national unity among all components of the Palestinian society, fully integrating them into the national struggle and securing their rights.
To the Palestinian Public
Palestinian Christians are an inseparable part of the Palestinian people. Our struggle is the national struggle. This Easter, let us commit to reinforcing our unity, ensuring that no Palestinian—Christian or Muslim—feels abandoned in the face of occupation, apartheid and displacement.
To Global Churches and Christian Organizations
This Easter, you will celebrate the resurrection of Christ. But how can you truly rejoice if Christianity is dying in the very land of the resurrection? We urge you to take a clear stand: reject racist theology; challenge Christian Zionism; denounce Israeli policies and practices that oppress Palestinians, including Palestinian Christians; insist on the enforcement of international laws and conventions on human rights; demand accountability for war criminals; and commit to concrete actions to protect Palestinian churches’ properties and communities.
To Churches in the United States
In word and deed, challenge the U.S. administration which provides weapons, intelligence, diplomatic cover and increasing support for the notion of forced displacement of Palestinians as Israel continues to kill Palestinians, and to support ideas of forcible transfer.
To Global Political Leadership
The erasure of Palestinian Christians from the Holy Land is not just a religious crisis. It is a matter of political justice. We demand that governments stop enabling Israel’s violations of international law, hold Israel accountable, and ensure that Israel’s racist policies against Palestinians stop. The right of Palestinians to self-determination must be respected.
To the Vatican, the World Council of Churches (WCC), and Other Global and regional Ecumenical Bodies
This Easter must be a season of prophetic leadership. The Vatican, the WCC, and all Christian institutions must move beyond statements into action. Pressure must be exerted on Israel to stop its violations, to end its settler colonial occupation, to end its apartheid regime. Serious efforts must be made to preserve Palestinian Christian communities.
A word of gratitude to the many churches, faith-related institutions and secular organizations that have stood up and spoken out. We know of and are strengthened by your demonstrations, protests, contacts with elected officials and other efforts of advocacy and solidarity.
We all face, today, a way that is blocked and a future that promises only woe. Our word to all our Christian brothers and sisters is a word of hope, patience, steadfastness and new action for a better future. Our word is that we, as Christians we carry a message, and we will continue to carry it despite the thorns, despite blood and daily difficulties. We place our hope in God, who will grant us relief in His own time. At the same time, we continue to act in concord with God and God’s will, building, resisting evil and bringing closer the day of justice and peace.
Easter is not only about Christ’s victory over death. It is about the triumph of truth over oppression, of justice over injustice. Let us ensure that this Easter is not one of mourning but of mobilization. Let it be the moment when Palestinian Christians and Muslims, together with our global allies, declare that we will not allow our history, our faith, and our land to be stolen from us. This Easter, let us commit to ensuring that it is not the last Easter with a vibrant Palestinian Christian presence.
Christ is risen! Palestine will rise!