In a political landscape often void of moral courage, his reaction stood out. It reminded me how rare it is for American politicians to question injustice in our land, especially when it comes to the ongoing suffering of Palestinians — both Christian & Muslims.

 

While I remain far from being a fan of this administration, given its long history of sidelining the Palestinian Authority and empowering settlement expansion, I felt compelled to appreciate a moment of honesty. It was a reminder that truth can emerge even from unlikely voices.

 

 

For decades, U.S. policies have emboldened Israel’s occupation, granting it near impunity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Settlers, often driven by extremist religious ideologies, have attacked Christian and Muslim villages, burned olive groves, and destroyed homes — all under the protection of the army. One recent attack near Ramallah saw Christian families’ cars burned including the cars of one of evangelical leaders from Ramallah and his brother. At that time even church grounds desecrated, and children traumatized. These are not isolated incidents. They are the bitter daily reality of those living under military occupation.

 

Such actions violate every biblical principle of justice and mercy. The prophets spoke clearly against those who “add house to house and join field to field till no space is left” (Isaiah 5:8) and against those who “plan iniquity… coveting fields and seizing them” (Micah 2:1–2). God’s Word could not be clearer: injustice in the land grieves the heart of God.

 

 

Many Christians, especially in the West, are taught to view the modern state of Israel through a purely theological lens, as though political expansion were somehow the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. But the Bible’s view of land is far more complex — and far more just.

 

In Leviticus 25:23, God declares, “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine, and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers.” The land belongs to God, not to any one people or nation. From the very beginning, divine ownership required human responsibility, compassion, and justice toward “the stranger and the foreigner.”

 

When we read the Bible through the life of Christ, we discover that the promise of the land was never meant to be about possession but about presence — God dwelling among His people. Jesus Himself told the Samaritan woman, “A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem… true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:21–23).

 

The New Covenant redefined holiness. The true “Holy Land” is no longer a map; it is the space where God’s kingdom of peace and justice is lived out. To cling to territorial power in the name of faith is to miss the very message of the Gospel.

 

 

It is tragic that many evangelical Christians still support an uncritical Zionist theology that confuses biblical Israel with the modern state. Some even claim that if Israel gives up an inch of territory, it will hinder the second coming of Christ. Such thinking is not only theologically misguided — it borders on idolatry.

 

The Apostle Paul reminds us that in Christ, “there is neither Jew nor Gentile… for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Our unity and identity are no longer based on ethnicity or land but on belonging to the body of Christ. The walls that divide people — whether political, racial, or theological — were torn down on the cross.

 

As followers of Jesus, our allegiance is not to flags or borders but to the Kingdom of God. The Gospel demands that we stand with the oppressed, not the powerful; that we speak for those whose voices have been silenced; that we live as peacemakers, for “blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

 

 

After thirty years of failed peace processes, the Palestinians are now asking for less than 18% of historic Palestine — a heartbreaking sign of compromise and exhaustion. All they seek is the right to live in freedom, to move without fear, to cultivate their land, and to retain their dignity.

 

The Scriptures affirm that every human being bears the image of God (Genesis 1:27). When a farmer is denied his olive harvest, when a child is killed by bullets, when a family’s home is burned by settlers — it is not just a political tragedy, it is a spiritual violation of that divine image.

 

As Christians, we must call this what it is: sin. And we must resist the temptation to hide behind political neutrality. The Gospel does not permit us to remain silent in the face of oppression. Jesus stood with the marginalized, lifted the broken, and spoke truth to the powerful. If our faith does not lead us to do the same, then we have misunderstood the very heart of the cross.

 

 

The hope for this land will not come from military power, nor from political manipulation. It will come when people of faith rediscover the Jesus who walked these hills — who refused violence, who wept over Jerusalem, and who gave His life to reconcile all humanity to God and to one another.

 

In Luke 4:18–19, Jesus declared His mission: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor… to set the oppressed free.” This is the Gospel we are called to embody — one that breaks chains, heals wounds, and restores dignity.

 

The Church —in the East, West, North & South must rise again to speak with a prophetic voice. We must reject any theology that blesses injustice and any silence that allows violence to continue. To stand with the oppressed of this land, to call it by its rightful name — Palestine — and to seek peace rooted in justice, is not political rebellion. It is Christian discipleship.

 

The words of the prophet Micah still ring true today: “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

 

May we live out that call — in Bethlehem, in Washington, and in every corner of this world.