The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs (HPCCA) in Palestine has issued a strong condemnation of what it describes as Israel’s “deliberate and systematic destruction” of the Christian presence in the Holy Land.
The committee warned that decades of occupation policies have reduced the Christian population in the occupied Palestinian territories from 12.5% before 1948 to just 1% today.
Ambassador Tamer Almassri, speaking on behalf of the committee, said the decline was “a direct consequence of Israel’s policies of ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, land confiscation, and systematic repression.”
He highlighted the displacement of 90,000 Palestinian Christians during the Nakba, the forced closure of around 30 churches, and the recent bombardment of Gaza that has claimed the lives of 44 Christians. “These are stark reminders of Israel’s relentless assault on the Christian community,” he stated.
The ambassador pointed to attacks on sacred sites and religious institutions, including the bombing of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, one of the world’s oldest churches, and the Catholic Holy Family Church, where civilians seeking refuge were massacred.
Related Stories
He also noted that Christian-run institutions, such as Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital and the Orthodox Arab Cultural and Social Center, had been struck during the ongoing war in Gaza. “These actions have left the already vulnerable Christian population without access to essential services,” Almassri said.
In Jerusalem, the HPCCA accused Israel of attempting to “strangle” the Christian presence through measures such as freezing the accounts of the Orthodox Patriarchate, imposing heavy taxes on church properties, and seizing Armenian church lands.
In Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, the committee said that illegal settlements, military checkpoints, and the separation wall were “suffocating the city,” while Christian-owned lands were being confiscated to expand settlements.
Almassri rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent remarks at the United Nations General Assembly, in which Netanyahu claimed that Israel protects Christians. “This is a cynical and misleading attempt to mask the true intentions of the Israeli government,” the ambassador said. “Israel’s actions clearly show an attempt to erase the Christian presence in Palestine and replace it with a false narrative of protection and preservation.”
The HPCCA stressed that safeguarding the Christian community in Palestine is not only a local issue but a matter of international importance. “The defense of the Christian presence in Palestine is a global human, moral, and legal cause,” Almassri declared, urging the international community to “recognize the gravity of this situation and take immediate action to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian Christian community.”
Leave Comments