The political struggle of Christians in Jerusalem

Jerusalem, if not the centralis one of the most important components in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict due to its religious importance for the three major monotheist religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam practised by the people in the Holy Land. Each faith wants to stamp its religious identity on Jerusalem. Consequently, the issue of Jerusalem has become very complicated, especially since Israel gained full control over the city in 1967. As a result, the presence and identity of the Christian community has been affected because of the political changes that have occurred in Jerusalem. These political changes have led to the reduction of the Christian presence in Jerusalem. During the period between 1948 and 1967, Christians fled to other countries to avoid the conflicts and restrictions. They settled in several other Arab countries and in Europe and the Americas. Due to the Israeli emigration policy relating to non-Jews,, many Palestinians could not return to their homeland while the rest decided to remain in those countries in which they had settled to find a better future for their children.

In this thesis, the political problems that Palestinian Christians face have been categorized into four main problems;  (1) the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem, (2) the Church’s role in relation to the struggle over Jerusalem and the Christian holy sites, (3) the role of the Palestinian Christians in the political conflict and (4) the lack of Christian economic resources.

The Israeli occupation of Jerusalem.

The liberation from Jordan and subsequent reunification of East Jerusalem with West Jerusalem by the Israeli Defence Force took place after the Six Day War in 1967. The only time the city was divided was between the years of 1948 and 1967, and it was the result of the Israelis capturing the west part of Jerusalem and making it part of the State of Israel  and the Palestinians keeping control of the east part and the subsequent unrecognized annexation of East Jerusalem by Jordan.

On June 27, 1967, Israel extended its legal and administrative jurisdiction to all of Jerusalem that includes East, West and the old city of Jerusalem by expanded the city’s municipal borders. At that time, Israel guaranteed to all Christian and Muslim religious leaders in the city to protect the Holy Places in what had previously been East Jerusalem. The Knesset approved a law that gives the protection to the Holy Places and granting special legal status to the Holy Sites and made it a criminal offence to desecrate or violate them, or to impede freedom of access to them.

Demographic problems.

The Israeli officials and law makers agreed the importance of preserving a Jewish majority within the expanded boundaries of Jerusalem as part of the struggle against the Palestinian influence in ruling of East Jerusalem. Israel translated their plan to preserve a Jewish majority with the boundaries of Jerusalem by creating and preserving a 76:24 (Israeli: Palestinian) demographic ratio in Jerusalem to accomplish this ratio, the Israeli government encouraged Israeli Jewish immigration into the city through the restoration and expansion of the Jewish Quarter and the provision of good quality housing, jobs, and services for Jewish Israelis who moved into the Old City of Jerusalem. Much of this new Jewish housing was located in the eastern and Palestinian part of the city, while not reciprocating by locating any Palestinian housing in the Israeli side of the city. At the same time, the government devised an array of legal measures to restrict building by the Palestinian population of Jerusalem. Israel also began the construction of Jewish settlements, which now form a ring around the entire northern, eastern, and southern perimeter of the city. The settlements form two rings around the city. The first settlement ring consists of ten settlements in Palestinian East Jerusalem and isolates East Jerusalem from its West Bank hinterland. The second has an outer ring of 20 settlements that splits the West Bank into northern and southern halves.

At the end of the 1967 war, there were no Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem. Today, there are over 180,000 in the expanded borders of the municipality. The presence of these settlers is illegal according to international law, as the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the transfer of the population of an occupying power into occupied territory and despite Israel claiming that they reunified Jerusalem, east Jerusalem is still considered occupied land.

Residency restrictions imposed on non-Jews.

Israeli government regulations have seriously affected the entry to, and residency, of non-Jews in Israel. These regulations have caused great human suffering to all the Palestinians in Israel and in particular the Christian community in Jerusalem because of the small size of their communities. Adding to this are problems caused by the inability of Jerusalem Christians to marry Palestinian Christians from the West Bank. Eli Varon, senior consultant on population administration to the Israeli Ministry of the Interior, commented on the application of the laws and regulations to the Christians of East Jerusalem “they are Palestinian and the law affects all regardless of gender, religion, or race.”  These regulations isolate Christians who are living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip from Jerusalem by eliminating their free access to Jerusalem. Any Palestinian residing in the West Bank or Gaza Strip wishing to enter Jerusalem must apply for a temporary permit that is extremely difficult to obtain. This closure policy has resulted in the denial of many Christian West Bank and Gaza Palestinians access to their holy sites in Jerusalem, even during major religious holidays.

The effect of the Separation Wall on Christian communities.

The connection between the local Christians in Jerusalem and Bethlehem and other West Bank areas is of particular significance for them to establish and maintain a coherent Christian structure. The Separation Wall is located between Jerusalem and the West Bank and access to Jerusalem from the south is via the Bethlehem checkpoint and access from the north is via Jalazone checkpoint.  The need to gain permission to pass through these checkpoints has created a serious problem for the Christians and damages their communal activities by restricting their free access to social and cultural activities.

The Church’s role in the struggle over Jerusalem.

The fate of Jerusalem and other holy places in the Holy Land is linked strongly to the legacy and origins of Christianity. This has been of particular concern to the heads of different religious denominations, in particular, the Catholic Church. The Holy See had led a number of political initiatives designed to guarantee the presence of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land. This concern can be traced back to 1922, when Cardinal Gaspari, the Vatican Secretary of State, publicly expressed fear that the terms of the British Mandate on Palestine might give the Jewish population a privileged position over that of other religious groups living in the Holy Land. The concern was that the British Mandate might compromise the rights of the Catholic Church, regarding holy sites. These fears escalated in the following years and led the Holy See to decide that the best solution to protect their interests would be the internationalization of Jerusalem, as recommended by the United Nations at the end of the British Mandate. They continued to be concerned about this issue after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

Israeli government leaders created new procedures, regulation, and laws to strengthen their religious and political identity after taking control of Jerusalem in 1967, (in particular the Old City of Jerusalem). These measures caused concern for all the other denominational leaders, both in Jerusalem and abroad. In response, the heads of the different churches, represented by local church leaders have, issued several statements. Most of these statements called for a stop to all violence against all Palestinians, but particularly against Christian Palestinians attempting to worship, work, study and live in Jerusalem. These public outcries appear to have fallen on deaf ears and the confiscation of land and buildings in Jerusalem has continued despite international condemnation. These actions are considered a clear representation of violence. Church leaders have declared that for Jerusalem to become a city of peace and a place to create harmony between Jews, Christians and Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians, requires effort because “Jerusalem is a symbol and a promise of the presence of God, of fraternity and peace for human kind, in particular the children of Abraham: Jews, Christians and Muslims”. Church leaders have called upon all parties concerned to comprehend and accept the nature and deep significance of Jerusalem, City of God. They continue to maintain that none can appropriate it in exclusivist ways and have invited “each party to go beyond all exclusivist visions or actions and, without discrimination, to consider the religious and national aspirations of others, in order to give back to Jerusalem its true universal character and to make of the city a holy place of reconciliation for humankind.” From 1948 to the present day, church leaders continue to issue these statements to aim to solve the conflict, without success.