Senior Christian leaders in Jerusalem have warned that outside political and ideological interference could be endangering the unity and survival of Christianity in the Holy Land.
The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in the region said local individuals promoting “damaging ideologies, such as Christian Zionism ... mislead the public, sow confusion, and harm the unity of our flock”.
The warning comes amid growing concern among Palestinian Christians over Israeli policies, including land confiscation, settlement expansion, and pressure on church-owned property. Church leaders said these measures were accelerating the erosion of one of the world’s oldest continuous Christian communities. They claimed that these efforts had received backing from “certain political actors in Israel and beyond” and warned that such support threatened Christian communities across the wider Middle East.
The leaders added, "These individuals have been welcomed at official levels both locally and internationally. Such actions constitute interference in the internal life of the churches and disregard the pastoral responsibility vested in the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem."
The warning followed a recent report by the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, which highlighted "threats to Christian heritage - particularly in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza alongside issues of unjustified taxation - are the source of ongoing concerns that threaten the existence of the community and the churches". The report also called for an “urgent need to protect Christian communities and our places of worship ... throughout the West Bank, where settler attacks increasingly target our churches, people and properties”.
Church groups have also condemned Israeli restrictions preventing teachers in the West Bank from reaching Christian schools in East Jerusalem. According to the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, Israel’s permit regime and military checkpoints have become the main tools used to block teachers from reaching classrooms, restrict movement and weaken educational institutions.
The committee warned that such measures amount to collective punishment and reflect “a policy of racial discrimination prohibited under international law”. Church officials said Israeli authorities had suspended the permits of dozens of teachers outright while slashing the number of days others are allowed to work, affecting at least 171 teachers and staff. The committee added that the targeting of Christian schools forms part of a broader Israeli policy aimed at undermining Palestinian education and eroding the Palestinian Christian presence in Jerusalem.
Israeli officials, however, have defended settlement expansion and movement restrictions in the West Bank as security measures rather than religious or ideological interference. On 12 December 2025, Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said the decision to grant legal status to 19 settlements was intended to “strengthen Israel’s strategic and security interests” and reflect what he described as the Jewish people’s historic connection to the land, according to Reuters. The government has rejected claims that such policies target Christian communities specifically.
Some Christian Zionists also embrace the “prosperity gospel”, which teaches that blessing Israel brings personal and financial reward. Critics say these beliefs translate into donations and political backing for Israel’s settlement enterprise, entrenching occupation while marginalising Palestinian Christians and undermining the historic churches of the Holy Land.
The Patriarchs said they were “deeply concerned” that individuals promoting these agendas have been “welcomed at official levels both locally and internationally”, calling such engagement an intrusion into the internal life of the churches. “These actions constitute interference in the internal life of the churches,” the statement said, accusing outside actors of disregarding the authority and responsibility of Jerusalem’s historic Christian leadership.
The intervention by Jerusalem’s Christian leaders underscores growing anxieties among Palestinian Christians over their community’s survival, education, and heritage amid ongoing political and ideological pressures in the region.
