Christians in Palestine accuse Christian leaders in the West

Christian groups in Palestine have charged that Western Christian leaders who backed Israel following the October 7 terror attack by Hamas were “complicit” in Israel’s oppression and acts of violence. Since Israel has been conducting airstrikes in Gaza after the attack, the open letter, which was published on Change.org, criticises these leaders for their unwavering support of Israel’s war against the Palestinian people.

The letter attacks certain Christian leaders for their actions and hypocritical standards, which have damaged their Christian witness and clouded their moral judgement about the state of affairs in their nation. The following organisations have signed on: Kairos Palestine; Christ at the Checkpoint; Bethlehem Bible College; the East Jerusalem YMCA; the Sabeel Ecumenical Centre for Liberation Theology; the YWCA of Palestine; the Arab Orthodox Society of Jerusalem; and the Middle East Council of Churches’ Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees. They also point to Israel’s “systemic oppression” of Palestinians for the past 75 years, as well as the ongoing military occupation and ethnic cleansing, to accuse Christian theologians and leaders of ignoring the conflict’s “root causes” and larger context.

President Joe Biden has received a letter from Palestinian Christian organisations asking him not to put pressure on Israel to agree to a “premature ceasefire.” In order to eradicate Hamas’ evil from human history, the letter, which is signed by former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, contends that Israel must overthrow the terrorist organisation. Additionally, the letter charges Christian Palestinian organisations with disseminating false information and leaving out important details about Hamas. The Congress of Christian Leaders’ president, Rev. Johnnie Moore, charged that Christian organisations in Palestine were disseminating “disinformation” regarding the hospital explosion, which Hamas had initially attributed to Israel. In addition, he demanded the immediate and complete release of all 200 hostages, who are nationals of more than 40 nations. Levant Ministries’ founder and CEO, Rev. Dr. Fares Abraham, urged Christians to respond in a measured manner, denouncing violence on all fronts and enjoining them to act as messengers of healing and peace grounded in biblical teachings.