Image Source: ACN Ireland
Occupied Palestine – Palestinian Christians are being subjected to a systematic erosion of their identity, culture and institutional presence in Jerusalem, as Israeli authorities move to bar West Bank teachers from working in Christian schools in the holy city. According to Aid to the Church in Need, nearly 230 teachers could lose their posts.
Palestinian theologian Samuel Munayer, speaking from Jerusalem, said the policy, which requires schools to hire only teachers who reside in Jerusalem and hold Israeli-issued qualifications, strikes at the heart of Palestinian Christian existence.
He described the Christian institutions of Jerusalem as foundational to the community, arguing that the attack on them extends far beyond employment.
“The institutions in Jerusalem, the Christian institutions such as hospitals and schools, are really the backbone of the community. Not only do they serve employment, but they are cultural centres that sustain the identity of Palestinian Christians and others.”
An Attack on Curriculum, Identity and History
Munayer said the teacher hiring restrictions are inseparable from a broader campaign targeting Palestinian history and heritage. Teachers trained under the Palestinian curriculum, rather than the Israeli one, carry traditions of Muslim-Christian coexistence that the policy would effectively silence in classrooms.
“When you are banning teachers who are qualified under the Palestinian curriculum but are qualified under the Israeli curriculum to teach in these schools, you’re essentially erasing this tradition and history that is being educated in the schools and therefore attacking the identity of Palestinians.”
He noted that the policy is being pushed through while global attention is focused elsewhere, suggesting the timing is deliberate. He said the church’s responses fall short of what’s needed.
“As a Palestinian Christian who’s living in Jerusalem, I’ve been upset with the responses of the churches or the lack of responses of the churches beyond the diplomatic gestures that they are extremely concerned, but actually creating an action plan that will save the community here in Jerusalem.”
Munayer called on Christian communities and churches globally to move beyond symbolic statements, warning that Palestinian Christians, present in Jerusalem since the earliest days of Christianity, face an accelerating erasure that demands concrete intervention.
