The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine has addressed church leaders and heads of churches around the world, expressing grave concern over the continued escalation of violence, forced displacement, and persecution targeting the Palestinian people, and Palestinian Christians in particular, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
The letter, issued by Dr. Ramzi Khouri, Member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs, warns that attacks against Palestinian Christians can no longer be viewed as isolated incidents. Rather, they form part of an ongoing and systematic pattern that includes settler violence, land confiscation and settlement expansion, restrictions on freedom of worship and access to Christian and Muslim holy sites, and attacks against clergy, nuns, churches, monasteries, and church properties and institutions. The Committee also expressed grave concern over attempts to undermine the historic and legal status quo governing the holy sites in Jerusalem.
The Committee stressed that these policies and practices are placing growing pressure on Palestinian Christian communities and threatening their historic and deeply rooted presence in their homeland. Particular concern was expressed over the situation in Taybeh, Palestine’s last entirely Christian town, which is experiencing a painful decline in its population. Since 2023, increasing numbers of Christian families have been compelled to leave Palestine amid deteriorating economic conditions, escalating attacks and restrictions, and the absence of any credible political horizon.
The letter also highlighted the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing that the suffering endured by Palestinians in Gaza and throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is part of an ongoing reality affecting the Palestinian people as a whole.
The Committee underscored that the Christian presence cannot be separated from the broader Palestinian cause. Protecting the Christian presence in Palestine means protecting the Palestinian people, their rights, dignity, and freedom.
The Committee called upon church leaders worldwide to listen closely to the voices of Palestinian churches, clergy, and theologians; to visit Palestine and witness the reality on the ground firsthand; and to meet with church leaders and Christian communities while visiting churches, monasteries, and holy sites. It stressed that firsthand witness is essential to understanding the reality facing Palestinians and can contribute to developing stronger and more effective positions and actions.
The Committee expressed its appreciation for the principled positions and expressions of solidarity demonstrated by churches around the world in support of the Palestinian people. At the same time, it emphasized the urgent need for solidarity to be translated into more effective positions and concrete action, with each church acting according to its role, capacity, and ecclesial and humanitarian responsibility.
The Committee called for continued action in defense of justice, dignity, accountability, the protection of the Holy Land’s sacred sites, and the preservation of the Palestinian Christian presence.
The Committee also enclosed with its letter a report documenting the violations committed against Palestinian Christians, their churches, and holy sites since the beginning of 2026 through August. The Committee stressed that the current moment demands a shift from expressions of concern and sympathy to witness, principled positions, and action.
The Committee concluded its message with a clear call to church leaders around the world: See. Listen. Speak. And let what you see and hear lead to action.
