Appeal from 'A Jerusalem Voice for Justice'

Aug 23rd, 2026

Jerusalem. Image: VFJ

Source: JVJ

On Monday, August 24, 2026, "A Jerusalem Voice for Justice: an ecumenical witness for equality and a just peace in Palestine/Israel" issued an appeal: "For Gaza, the West Bank, and the Christian presence in their land". The appeals reads as follows:

"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?"

(Psalm 13:1)

We, the undersigned, cannot remain silent in the face of what is happening around us, nor can we allow the daily suffering, death, displacement, and deprivation, to become something to which we grow accustomed. In the name of our Christian faith, and our belonging to our people, we address these words to our Churches, and to all people of conscience.

First: Gaza - Its tragedy must not become just another news item

What has been happening in Gaza for more than a thousand days is a human tragedy. We cannot simply learn to coexist with it as though it were normal. Behind the numbers of casualties are faces and names, families, children, women, men, and elderly; people who have lost their homes, their loved ones, and their livelihoods, many of whom are now living amidst rubble, hunger, fear, and disease, and the absence of the most basic necessities of life. One cannot but wonder how more than two million people are still able to endure and survive in Gaza today.

This tragedy includes the collapse of healthcare and medical services. Hospitals are operating under extreme duress; healthcare workers are paying the price of this war; and the sick and wounded face enormous difficulties in obtaining medicine, and basic care.

The danger today is that we become accustomed to this tragedy. When the loss of human lives becomes merely another item in the daily news, and when destruction no longer awakens moral outrage and compassion, we face a danger that threatens not only Gaza, but our humanity.

We refuse to allow Gaza to be forgotten. We call for an end to the suffering of its people, demand the protection of civilians, guaranteed access to humanitarian assistance, and an end to killing, destruction, hunger, and fear.

We affirm that every human life is sacred and we reject all killing, violence, and revenge. Peace cannot be built upon the ruins of a people, nor can it be founded upon denying the dignity of others. There can be no peace without equality for all who live in this land.

Second: The West Bank - A danger growing every day

While attention remains focused on Gaza, the situation in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) is also deteriorating. Settlement expansion, army and settler violence, military checkpoints and closures, and the difficulty of movement, employment, access to healthcare and the holy places, are making life increasingly difficult and pushing people even deeper into despair. Checkpoints, closures, and restrictions on movement also hinder patients, ambulances, and medical personnel from reaching hospitals, while healthcare workers face growing risks. The right to healthcare is an inseparable part of the right to life and human dignity.

What is happening in Palestinian towns and villages, including Taybeh with its important Christian presence, affects us all. Muslim and Christian Palestinians belong to one people, and what threatens one threatens all. We reject every ideology or policy that denies Palestinians the right to exist in freedom and dignity in their own land and homes.

Jerusalem is becoming increasingly isolated from its Palestinian surroundings. Access to the city, even for prayer and pilgrimage to the holy places, has become extremely difficult for many.

Restrictions on movement and employment, declining economic opportunities, unemployment, and constant fear of the future are not merely temporary difficulties. They are direct factors driving families, Muslim and Christian alike, to consider emigration. Our Churches and institutions must make the defense of people's ability to remain in their land a priority. They must use their local and international connections to promote our people's rights, dignity, and ability to remain. Equality for all is an indispensable foundation for any just and lasting peace.

Third: To our Christians in Palestine - This is your land; do not lose hope

Beloved Christian Palestinian brothers and sisters, we know that life is difficult. The fears you have for your children, the difficulty in finding work, the military checkpoints and permits, the anxiety about tomorrow, and the feeling at times that doors are closing one after another are constant. We know that, for many, emigration may seem like a solution. We say to you: do not allow fear to dominate you, suggesting that you that you are strangers in your own land. Do not allow despair to cloud your future.

We, Christian Palestinians, are not relics of the past. We are not a transient community, nor merely a "minority" waiting for protection. We belong to this land and are an integral part of its people, its past, present, and future. Our presence is also a presence of faith, whose roots reach back to the first Christian community. This is the land of Christ and from this land the Gospel went forth to the world. Our continued presence is a witness to faith, hope, love, reconciliation, and justice, for us and for the world.

Beloved, remain steadfast, and do not flee. Have courage, and do not surrender. Stand firm in solidarity with our people, resisting evil and violence. As the Apostle Paul taught: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). Love is not weakness, but a power capable of confronting evil.

We reject every attempt to exploit fear and suffering in order to sow sectarian division among the members of one people. Challenges cannot be addressed by sowing division, by turning them into religious conflict, or by overlooking the broader dangers threatening the future of our people. The challenges are many, but let us learn to live together, sharing responsibility. We Palestinians, Christians and Muslims, are one people. We have lived together for centuries, and we must also build our future together, on the basis of equal citizenship, human dignity, and mutual respect. Our strength lies in our unity, and together we are stronger.

To decision-makers and rulers we say, in the words of the Psalm: "Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth" (Psalm 2:10). We call upon all that wield political and military influence, foremost among them the United States, to assume their responsibility, working to stop the killing, displacement, and destruction. Decades of policies of war in our region have contributed to the displacement of millions, among them large numbers of Christians. Fear God, act wisely, and work for the lives of our children and yours, for a future in which death and displacement are not the destiny of the peoples of this region.

We hope that the coming elections in Israel and in Palestine will bring new forms of governance, founded upon justice and fairness, contributing to creating a new reality leading to equality, and a just and definitive peace in our land and throughout the region.

We call upon our Churches and Christian institutions to prioritize helping our people remain steadfast by supporting employment opportunities, education, housing, young people, and families, and by clearly defending their rights and freedoms locally and internationally. We call upon our Church leaders to achieve greater unity, coordination, and transparency, and to ensure that meetings with international officials become genuine opportunities to raise the concerns of our people and defend them, so that the faithful may feel that the Church does not merely speak about them, but stands with them in their suffering and defends their right to remain in their land.

At the same time, we call upon our Christian people not to expect everything from institutions and leaders. Our continued presence is a shared responsibility. We are called to support one another, to invest in our land and our society, in our young people and families, and not to surrender to a mentality of fear and despair. None of us can carry this responsibility alone. We must work together. Our strength lies in working together, and together we are stronger. We are not naive regarding the magnitude of the dangers, nor do we wish to obscure reality. We see it in all its harshness, and we know that the road ahead is difficult. But faith does not mean denying reality; it means refusing to allow hatred, death, and despair to have the final word. To you, we say:

Be witnesses to the truth.

Be peacemakers, workers for justice, and promoters of equality.

Hold fast to your land, your faith, and your hope.

Do not allow fear to rob you of your future.

This land is not only the land in which our forefathers lived; it is also the land in which we want our children to live.

Signatories:

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah (emeritus)

Lutheran Bishop of the Holy Land Munib Younan (emeritus)

Greek Orthodox Archbishop Attallah Hanna

Mr. Yusef Daher Ms. Sawsan Bitar Mr. Samuel Munayer

Ms. Dina Nasser Mr. John Munayer Ms. Sandra Khoury

Rev. David Neuhaus SJ Rev. Frans Bouwen MAfr Rev. Firas Abdrabbo