Freedom to Worship: A Palestinian Christian Call for Religious Freedom
By Jonathan Kuttab
For years, Christian clergy in Jerusalem have been complaining about an ongoing series of assaults, insults, attacks, and various forms of harassment by Jewish settlers in the Old City, as well as the defacement of their property and graveyards. They have also complained about what seems to be a determined campaign by Jewish groups to take over church properties in and around Jerusalem, relying on heavy pressure, deals made with corrupt church officials, forged documents, and exaggerated offers made to greedy tenants of church properties. The response by Israeli authorities has always been that such activities constitute individual acts by a fringe group of Jewish extremists who hate Christians, and who were as much of a headache to the authorities as they were to the Christian Churches. The authorities maintained that they had no interest in altering the status quo or infringing upon the rights of Christians (or Muslims, for that matter) in the Holy City.
This year witnessed an escalation of such attacks, as well as increasing evidence of direct Israeli government involvement. While world attention was primarily concentrated upon Al-Aqsa Mosque and the threat of Jewish extremists attempting to possess, pray, and even conduct animal sacrifices at Al-Aqsa, little attention has been given to Christian complaints. Moreover, Jewish attacks against Palestinian Christians is not something Israel has been eager to acknowledge, relying as it does on Western support. Meanwhile, Western Christians have often been reluctant to acknowledge their own culpability or confront their own shameful history of anti-Jewish persecution and its role in fueling the crisis. Both sides seemed perfectly happy to leave Palestinian Christians (a marginalized community within a marginalized community) alone to bear the brunt of extremist aggression and pay the price, it might be said, for the sins of “Christian Europe.” Ignoring or denying the actions of Jewish extremists seems to be a convenient posture to take.
This year, and for the first time ever, Israeli police announced that they would restrict the number of worshippers at the the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for the Easter Holy Fire ceremony to 1000 people (the church holds approximately 11,000) and would limit the number of Christians allowed into the Old City on Easter to a mere 500. After an appeal to the High Court, the number of worshippers was increased to 4000. The police openly restricted access by Palestinian Christian worshippers and Arabic speakers, while simultaneously allowing foreign tourists and Jewish settlers access to the area around the Church. Meanwhile, a group of settlers broke into and occupied some Church property near the Church, claiming that they had purchased rights to these properties (by a very shady deal that is being contested in the courts).
These activities have been a source of grave concern for local Christians. Sabeel Jerusalem has shared with us the statements of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch responding to these events and has asked that we raise these concerns with the relevant church groups and political decision makers here in the United States.
The reason such actions have been increasing appears to be the result of a combination of factors: Israeli extremists are no longer a fringe group in Israel but are now openly represented in the Knesset, even within the government. They must be accommodated if Israel’s fragile governing coalition is to survive. More importantly, these religious fanatics are now framing their plans as being integral to the Zionist goal of exclusive Jewish control over Jerusalem, which they claim must be a Jewish city under the sole control of Israel. Secular Zionists who have no interest in a religious war with Muslims or Christians are nonetheless happy to assert exclusive Jewish claims to Jerusalem as a national, political goal.
Religious conflicts are particularly terrible because they arouse hatred and animosity in the name of God and are therefore not open to rational discussion or debate. In Jerusalem, so central as it is to Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, it is easy to whip up religious sentiment and marshall it in the service of some political end.
Christian Zionists also use religious arguments (if spurious) to support their political positions, claiming that support for Zionist goals in Jerusalem is somehow part of God’s plan for the End Times. It is shameful that such groups not only support Jewish religious extremists but also show clear hostility towards Muslims and Islam, and many would be delighted to see a bloody, catastrophic religious war that in their thinking would result in Armageddon and hasten the Second Coming.
We at FOSNA reject religious extremism on all sides (whether Jewish, Muslim, or Christian). We assert positions that uphold human dignity and freedom of religion for all parties. We encourage free access to the Holy Places for authentic believers seeking to worship God “in spirit and in truth” rather than abuse God’s name by using it to assert exclusive political claims for their own particular group at the expense of others. The delicate balance enshrined in the historic “Status Quo” agreements needs to be meticulously observed, and exclusivist claims on behalf of any of the three religions should be resisted as a formula for disaster for all concerned. Jerusalem is too important to be the sole domain of any one group, and it must be shared by all.
We pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the safety and prosperity of all who hold it dear (Psalm 122:6).
Take Action!
Petition:
Stand with Alice Walker: Anti-Zionism is NOT Anti-Semitism! Many thanks to NorCal Friends of Sabeel for bringing this to our attention. With them, we call on the Bay Area Book Festival to immediately reinstate their invitation to lifelong civil and human rights fighter, antiwar activist, feminist and world-renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple, Alice Walker to participate this weekend in their annual festival in Berkeley, CA. We strongly condemn the festival’s decision to cancel Alice Walker’s participation based on spurious charges of anti-Semitism that falsely equate opposition to discriminatory policies of Zionist Israel with hatred of Jewish people. There can be no "progressive" without Palestine!
Petition:
Religious freedom is under attack in the Holy Land. Images coming out of Jerusalem these past weeks have been shocking, both at Al-Aqsa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Palestinian Christian worshippers were denied access, often violently, to the old city and church to celebrate Easter. Israel is continually trying to restrict and violently disrupt worship for Muslims and Christians in the Holy City of Jerusalem. We are reaching out to you today on behalf of Sabeel Jerusalem, urging you to sign and share the Freedom of Worship petition below. Additional actions on this front are forthcoming, and we will keep you informed.
An Appeal from Naim Ateek
“The Easter season is the time in which we remember that God in Christ conquered the powers of evil and death. As followers of the living Christ, we continue to challenge the powers of domination and oppression that humiliate and suppress our people and replace them with justice, peace, and reconciliation. I appeal to you, our friends, to give to FOSNA’s ministry so that its voice for advocacy and its action for justice and liberation would be strengthened and multiplied.”
Get Involved!
FOSNA Is Hiring!
We are seeking a talented, dynamic, and passionate Communications and Campus Outreach Coordinator to join our team of remote staff located across the United States.
FOSNA invites you to join us in the following events and activities:
May 20-21: A New Path to Peace: Examining a One-State Solution for Israel-Palestine. Join our friends Richmonders for Peace in Israel-Palestine (RPIP) for what promises to be an illuminating and engaging virtual conference. Sessions and speakers include:
"The Case for One State: Why a Two-State Solution is No Longer a Viable Option," featuring Iymen Chehade, Gideon Levy, and Alice Rothchild
"What Would the One State Look Like? How Would It Function?" featuring Ramzy Baroud, Jeff Halper, Jonathan Kuttab, and Conor McCarthy
"The Road to One State: How Do We Get from Here to There?" featuring Dana El Kurd, Ilan Pappe, Miko Peled, and Mohamed Rabie
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Week 18: Freedom of Speech. This week, the world celebrated World Press Freedom Day. However, we want the world to know that Palestinian journalists face regular threats of censorship and violence. Frustratingly, this censorship has been aided and abetted by tech giants such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Zoom. The Palestinian Center for Development and Freedoms (MADA) is working in support of freedom of speech and a free and independent press in Palestine. Here’s what you need to know and what you can do so that together we can rise up.
Sabeel Prayer Service. Join Sabeel every Thursday (6pm Jerusalem) for online Bible Study, discussion, and prayer. Examine scripture in light of the ongoing realities confronting the Palestinian Church and the pursuit of Palestinian liberation.
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