Palestinian Denial of Religious Freedom

What the U.S. Government Says about Palestinian Treatment of Christians

Religious persecution and discrimination of non-Moslems is common in many Arab countries. The Palestine Liberation Organization perpetrated horrific acts of murder, rape and plunder against Christians in Lebanon between 1975 and 1982. (19) After several years of rule in the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinian Authority shows signs of returning to this discriminatory pattern.

According to the U.S. State Department's Annual Report on Religious Freedom:

"Periodically, there are incidents of Christian-Muslim tension in the occupied territories. Tensions have arisen over Christian-Muslim romantic relationships or when Christians have erected large crosses in the public domain. Christians in the Bethlehem area also have complained about Muslims settling there and constructing homes illegally on land not zoned for building.

"During the period covered by this report, there were periodic reports that some Christian converts from Islam who publicize their religious beliefs have been harassed. Converts complained that they were mistreated and threatened. The draft Palestinian Basic Law specifically forbids discrimination against individuals based on their religion; however, the PA did not take any action against persons accused of harassment." (20)

Congressional Witness

Other official sources, less encumbered by the State Department's "diplomatic restrictions," have reported on the imprisonment, harassment and even torture of Christian converts. Following a visit in the Middle East in early 1999, Senator Connie Mack (R-Florida) decried the condition of Christians under the Palestinian Authority's jurisdiction. The following is an excerpt of remarks made on the Senate Floor:

"[I met] an energetic man, in his early 40s, at the end of the table... He had many children and very little money. He converted to Christianity in 1993. He clearly loved God, and he loved to tell people about his conversion. He described to me how in 1997, the Palestinian Authority asked him to come to the police station for questioning. When he arrived, he was immediately arrested and detained on charges of selling land to Jews. He denied this charge, since he was very poor and owned no land. He was beaten. He was hung from the ceiling by his hands for many hours.

"After two weeks, he was transferred to a larger prison where he was held for eight months without trial. He was released in February 1998, after his family borrowed thousands of dollars to pay off the local authorities. And even though he is free, they are keeping his father in prison. They believe it is for his son's beliefs. He feels his father is being held hostage to prevent him from talking with people about his faith. Needless to say, these Christians met with me at considerable risk. They conveyed to me a message of fear and desperation. But their mere presence in the room with me demonstrated their hope, and it also caused me to ask, how can the people of Israel find peace with the Palestinian Authority while the Palestinian Authority engages in coercion and torture based upon religious beliefs-" (21)

Return to this feature index

Return to the Gamla Homepage

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter