Where God Weeps - the suffering church in focus

The situation of the church in Israel and Palestine

World religious leaders have called on Churches in the West to help Christians in the Holy Land who are threatened by religious intolerance and deepening poverty. Emigration is such a serious problem that if it continues at current levels Christians will all but disappear. According to some senior clergy, Christians now make up more than 20 percent of emigrants. It is an alarming statistic given that Christians number about 160,000.

In 2008, the year that the state of Israel celebrated its 60^th anniversary, reports showed that in the years the foundation of the state, Christians in Bethlehem declined from 60 percent to 10 percent of the population. In Jerusalem, the situation is just as serious. There, Christians have fallen from 45 percent of the population to barely 7,000 in number. Abandoning the Holy Land is for many a very painful decision. They know that the more people leave, the worse it becomes for those left behind.

The challenges are increased by the seemingly intractable political debate over the future of Israel and Palestine and the possible creation of a permanent Palestinian state. In Israel and the Occupied Territories, Islamic extremists have stepped up attacks on Christians who are often falsely branded as being pro-US

When in June 2007 Hamas, a militant Islamist group, seized power in Gaza, the problem of extremism suddenly intensified, sparking more attacks on minorities, not least Christians. But the concerns about extremism and intolerance were not confined to Gaza - they have affected the West Bank as well.

For many, especially Christians, the problems were compounded by Israel's continuing work on the so-called security barrier around the West Bank. For Christians in the Bethlehem area reliant on tourism, the increased security controls have deterred visitors, damaging the local economy. After 2007, however, there were signs of improvement.

Meanwhile, in Israel, Christians have suffered discrimination, as most are Arabs, which means they are not fully recognised as citizens. Reports show repeated government ambivalence in response to acts of discrimination against minority groups, especially Christians. Israeli police have been accused of inaction against attacks on Christians carried out by Druze, who are members of a religion derived from Islam.

How you can help

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) supports several projects in Israel and Palestine. You can support these projects by donating via their national offices.

Below you can find one or more finished projects ACN supported in the past.

• Support for the work of the Al Liqa Centre in Jerusalem
  

  „I believe that this group of Christian and Muslim believers who are working for peace and dialogue are a shining example of a religious necessity which will strengthen the faith of every believer", writes His Beatitude Archbishop Michael Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. "Al-Liqa", an Arabic word, means "encounter". It is an Association founded in 1982 in Jerusalem by Palestinian Muslims and Christians. Read more >>

• Help for the sisters of the Carmel of the Child Jesus in Bethlehem
  

  In January 2005 ACN received an urgent appeal from the prioress of the Carmel in Bethlehem, Sister Lucyna of the Cross. „Very recently", she wrote, "the shocking news has reached us that our convent precincts are being used as a refuge by Islamic militants. This is being dealt with at the highest levels, the patriarch, the Nuncio, the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli military. Read more >>

Statistics

Population: 11.00 Million
Christian Population: 0.16 Million
Religious statistics:
Jews: 77.1%
Muslims: 12%
Affiliated Christians: 5.8%
None religious: 4.8%
Others: 0.3%


Holy Land: The path in between




On the other side of the wall




On the other Side of the Wall (Short film)




On the Other Side of the Wall (audio)