When Palestinian Christians Ask Questions, American Evangelicals Cannot Answer
- Nawaf M. Al Thani
- Jul 15
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 18
Justice cannot be selective in the Holy Land.
Last February, I attended a gathering of Palestinian Christians from diverse traditions, including Anglican, Baptist, Greek Orthodox, Melkite, and Catholic. I went out of pure curiosity. I am neither Christian nor Palestinian, but I came to listen. The evening’s focus was not on geopolitics in the abstract, but on the lived reality of Christian communities under occupation in both the West Bank and Gaza. Their stories remained with me, so I shared some of the questions they raised on social media. Within hours, the thread reached more than 1.5 million interactions. News organizations clamored for a follow-up. I hesitated; I did not want this to become about me. Yet, five months later, the questions persist in my inbox—from Palestinians seeking acknowledgment and from Christians seeking clarity. I am no scholar of theology or international affairs, but I do understand that true fairness demands we listen and speak.
Questions from the Heart of Christianity
They asked me questions I could not answer.
A softly spoken man leaned forward and said, “We are Christians, living in the land where Jesus walked, yet evangelicals in America send millions to Israeli settlers who take our land while ignoring us. Why?” If Jesus Himself were here today, would He stand with those demolishing Christian homes in Bethlehem, or with the families being displaced? Scripture commands, “Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Are Palestinian Christians not among “the least of these”?
A woman from Jerusalem joined in: “We hear churches speaking out for persecuted Christians in Iraq, in Syria, even in China—but our suffering merits no mention. Aren’t we part of the same Body?” The apostle Paul wrote, “If one part suffers, all suffer” (1 Corinthians 12:26). Yet their suffering remains invisible.
When Prophecy Becomes a Shield
A man from Nazareth spoke with restrained frustration. “We were taught that love and justice stand at the core of Christianity. Yet many evangelicals explain our suffering as ‘part of prophecy.’ Since when does God’s plan excuse oppression?” This is the logic of Christian Zionism, which treats Palestinian dispossession as a necessary subplot in a divine narrative. They were not asking for theological lectures; they were asking for compassion.
Gaza’s Churches and Hospitals Under Fire
Their questions took on new urgency in light of recent events. On October 17, 2023, an airstrike hit the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City—an institution founded by the Anglican Church in the 19th century and later supported by Baptist missions—killing at least 471 people seeking shelter and medical care. Less than a week later, a Greek Orthodox church compound—Saint Porphyrius, the oldest church in Gaza—was struck, killing over a dozen civilians who had taken refuge there.
The Gaza Baptist Church, established in 1954 as the Strip’s only evangelical congregation, was also heavily damaged by shelling and subsequently converted into a makeshift clinic as local hospitals overflowed. Meanwhile, the Catholic Holy Family Church shelters some 650 displaced Christians and Muslims, its walls pockmarked by nearby bombardment; In the past, the late Pope Francis had even made nightly calls to its priest to offer support.
A Baptist priest asked me, “Evangelicals send millions to Israel’s military but not to rebuild what bombs have taken from Palestinian Christians. Doesn’t Jesus say, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’?” Their words left no room for easy answers: Does peace count only when one side builds it?
Unequal Standards for Religious Freedom
They spoke of daily humiliations: families in East Jerusalem denied worship permits; schools in the West Bank threatened with demolition orders; ancient congregations reduced to prayer behind barricaded doors. Yet they watched U.S. policymakers decry religious repression in Iran and China, never mentioning Gaza’s churches. One leader asked, “Is religious freedom only important when it fits a narrative?”
A pastor from Ramallah drew a stark comparison to South Africa: “Evangelicals stood against apartheid there—why support it here? Two legal systems, segregated roads. What is the difference?” He held up a mirror. When challenged, security concerns are offered; when pressed, democracy is invoked. But for Palestinian Christians, occupation is reality.
Democracy’s Blind Spot
They went on: “Evangelicals call Israel a model democracy, yet they ignore when it demolishes Christian homes in Jerusalem or bars our churches from expanding. If justice is universal, why does it end at a border?”
A mother from Bethlehem invoked Jesus overturning the money-changers’ tables in the temple (Luke 19:45-46). “He protested injustice,” she said. “Today, evangelicals defend injustice in His land. Would He?” Their challenge resonated like the echo of an empty sanctuary.
A Simple Plea
Before the gathering ended, they spoke softly: “We do not ask much. We simply ask that our fellow Christians see us, hear us, and stand with us.” No political platform. No appeal for funds. Just a longing for acknowledgment from the global community that professes the same faith.
Lives Shaped by Violence
Since October 2023, the crisis has deepened. Gaza’s population of roughly 2.3 million, including fewer than 1,000 Christians, has seen mosques and churches alike struck by airstrikes and artillery. In the West Bank, Christian villages like Taybeh—the only entirely Christian town in Palestine—faced arson near its fifth-century St. George church, attacks on its cemetery, and threats that force families to wonder if they can stay. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, warned that without protection, these communities risk vanishing.
Not Antisemitic. But Honest
I know some will call these questions antisemitic. They are not. Hatred toward Jews is vile and must be condemned. But condemning antisemitism cannot excuse ignoring injustice. Critiquing policies is not the same as vilifying a people. Standing with Palestinian Christians does not diminish Jewish lives; it affirms our shared humanity.
Reflections on Moral Consistency
I left that gathering profoundly unsettled. I realized how easily moral compasses bend to convenience. Many Western church leaders loudly decry religious persecution in countries such as China and Iran, yet they remain silent when it affects Palestinian Christians in the birthplace of their faith. They speak of empathy, yet they too often overlook communities that have carried the Christian message for two millennia.
American evangelical leaders and U.S. policymakers now face a choice: maintain unconditional support for one side, or embrace a more nuanced stance that respects all Christian lives in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Gaza.
What Justice Demands
Listen and Amplify
Elevate Palestinian Christian voices in sermons, news coverage, and policy forums.
Hold All Parties Accountable
Tie aid and diplomatic support to respect for religious and human rights across the board.
Demand Equal Religious Freedom
Advocate for permits, building rights, and protection for church communities.
Extend Humanitarian Aid Inclusively
Ensure relief reaches church-run hospitals, schools, and community centers.
Reexamine Prophetic Theology
A faith that excuses oppression is not the faith taught by Christ. Prophecy should never trump compassion.
A Call to Conscience
This is not a partisan appeal. It is a moral imperative. Palestinian Christians—descendants of the first believers—ask only one thing: see us, hear us, stand with us.
To American evangelicals—and anyone who claims to value justice—what will your answer be? Justice that is selective is not justice. It must be for all, or it is nothing.
Nawaf Al-Thani is Editor-in-Chief of Polistratics and a former defense diplomat.
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