The Palestinian-Israeli crisis is arguably the most divisive, hotly contested conflict of the last half-century. Centered on land sacred to Christianity, Judaism and Islam, the conflict has immense political and religious consequences and interests at stake. The conflict has received an unprecedented amount of international attention and it has assumed an urgency that has resulted in a seemingly irreconcilable polarization of both parties involved. Throughout this frenzy of political and media attention, one marginalized but integral minority within the conflict has long been ignored and often times dismissed and relegated to the periphery of public knowledge and opinion. It is the plight and oppression suffered by Palestinian Christians.
I would like to emphasize that this is not an article advocating a political stance on this sensitive issue. I do not want to add unnecessary fuel to the already tense debate at Georgetown; I am writing this piece to highlight a factor of the conflict many from both sides often neglect to bring to the mainstream’s attention and as a result, misleadingly oversimplify the reality of the conflict.
To many outside observers, the Palestinian Christian minority is practically nonexistent. As Dr. Abe Ata, a native of Bethlehem and a 12th-generation Christian academic, points out, “Christian Palestinians are treated by the West as non-people. Few outside the Middle East even know they exist.” He writes of one ironic, yet especially poignant story that epitomizes the invisibility and neglect suffered by the original descendents of the first Christian converts: “We are reminded of a story told about a group of Western missionaries who traveled to the Levant in the late 19th century. They were meeting the elders of a village. On being told that the village was Christian, and not a little dismayed that some other missionary must have got there first, they enquired who had converted them. At this, the elders, clearly bewildered, began to debate earnestly among themselves in Arabic. Finally the answer came back: ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’”
Palestinian Christians constituted almost 20 percent of the Palestinian population before the creation of the state of Israel. Their numbers have since dwindled due to mass emigration, so that they now constitute only two percent of the remaining Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Territories. They have been especially hard hit by the escalation of violence since the beginning of the second intifada. Almost two-thirds live in the city of Bethlehem and in the surrounding towns of Beit Jala and Beit Shour, which have increasingly become the focus of Israeli military attention and curfews. They have fled in such great numbers for the same reasons their Muslim brethren have fled during times of increased conflict; many are no longer willing to endure the hardships imposed by the occupation and see no signs of a peaceful future in their homelands. They seek a better life for their families and themselves. In general, they have, as a religious community, had greater access to Diaspora communities and resources that have facilitated the emigration of thousands of families over the years.
Nevertheless, the plight of these people has essentially been purposely overlooked, especially in the United States. James Zogby, president of the Arab-American Institute in Washington explains that “the pressure created by the occupation has unleashed an unbearable set of pressures on the Christian community, and the Christian churches here in America have turned a blind eye.” Neglect of this small but historically vital religious population by fellow Christian communities is one of the most perplexing aspects of its invisibility. Sister Elaine Kelley, who works for Sabeel, an ecumenical Palestinian peace and justice center in Jerusalem, states that “historically, there has been a huge void of Christian concern for the Christian Palestinian community and a major gap in knowledge about their existence.” She adds: “Many, many times I’ve mentioned Christian Palestinians, people ask, ‘Are they converts?’ It amazes me, because these people are not converts. They are an indigenous, continuing Christian community. They joke that their ancestors drank tea with the Apostles.”
Many media observers and political and religious organizations attempt to portray the crisis as a conflict that pits Judeo-Christian interests against Muslim ones. This polarized portrayal goes against all the realities on the ground and it essentially negates the existence of Christian Palestinians as a part of the greater Palestinian nation. Christians have played a large part in the struggle for national independence and they continually stress that there is little other than religious belief that differentiates them from other Palestinians. As the Anglican bishop of Jerusalem, the Rev. Riah Abu El-Assal, explains: “The Arab Palestinian Christians are part and parcel of the Arab Palestinian nation. We have the same history, the same culture, the same habits and the same hopes.” The Rev. Raed Abu-Sahlia, chancellor of the Catholic Church in Jerusalem and secretary to the Latin Patriarch, adds: “We are all under occupation. We endure the same suffering and we have the same aspirations. We don’t have any discrimination between Christians and Muslims.”
Palestinian Christians are an unrecognized yet crucial variable of the conflict. Their voice, though often times ignored, must be heard and addressed. The larger community must capitalize on its unique position and attempt to change the public perception of the conflict. This displaced yet dynamic people bear a heavy burden of being vital to helping shift the stagnant debate from its dangerously oversimplified and polarized religious undertones to a more manageable political struggle that can be resolved at the negotiating table.
Maher Bitar is a first-year in the School of Foreign Service. Finally, Snood … Batos Locos 4ever, MTL Ouais, eh!?
