IMEU Institute for Middle East Understanding
News & Analysis
Living under harsh military rule = no religious freedom. Israel just decided to ban Palestinian Christians in Gaza from visiting Bethlehem and Jerusalem for Christmas.
on December 13, 2019
Thousands gathered in the holy city’s Manger Square late Saturday night to watch one of their own win the “Arab Idol” song contest, the wildly popular ratings monster that brings the...
on February 26, 2017
Jesus has been a key moral figure in my religious upbringing. I was born in New Jersey but my parents relocated to Palestine when I was in second grade. In Palestine, I attended the Quaker Friends Boys School. Yes, there are many Palestinian Christians, including Quakers. We learned about Liberation Theology...
on December 24, 2016
Farah is a young girl from Beit Lahia, a city located in the Gaza Strip, close to the Israeli border and in the midst of much of the turmoil that occurs in the area. Farah's mother, grandfather, aunt and three uncles were all killed in the same attack that injured Farah, causing her severe third-degree burns on parts of her body…
on August 1, 2016
“Christmas has no place in the Holy Land,” insists Benzion Gopstein, the leader of a far-right Israeli group that has indirectly received support from the government. According to Gopstein, Christians are “vampires and blood suckers” that must be expelled from Israel, the U.S.’ closest ally. “Let us remove the vampires before they once again drink our blood,” he wrote in a recent article on an ultra-Orthodox website.
on December 26, 2015
When people think of Palestine and religion, the Muslim–Jewish conflict invariably comes to mind. But this association overlooks the 11% of Christian Palestinians who also live there — and who endure surprisingly similar prejudices to their Muslim counterparts. "Christians suffer from the same discrimination and marginalization facing the rest of the Palestinian community," the Huffington Post...
on December 24, 2015
Fact Sheets
Christian Palestinians who are citizens of Israel suffer from the same widespread official and unofficial discrimination that other non-Jews do, in everything from land ownership and housing to employment and family reunification rights.
on December 24, 2015
One of the most beautiful memories of my childhood in Jaffa is the Christmas ceremonies, and the trees, when the various Christian communities would prepare colorful celebrations and many would make their way to Bethlehem. Just as during the Muslim festivities of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr, all Palestinians would celebrate together.
on December 23, 2015
Photo Essays
From Bethlehem to Nazareth to the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Christians — a group that many people don't know exist — are taking a breath from the daily struggles of life under occupation to enjoy tree lightings and time with family. Palestinian Christians make up over 10 percent of the Palestinian population worldwide.
on December 23, 2015