Forgotten Christians: The plight of Palestinian and Armenian Christians
Christianity has deep-roots in both Palestine and Armenia, home to some of the world’s oldest Christian communities. Jesus himself was a Palestinian Jew living under Roman rule, and disciples such as Bartholomew and Thaddeus spread the gospel to Armenia following Christ’s resurrection. Despite this long-standing presence, both Palestinian and Armenian Christians have faced persecution, particularly in recent years. In Palestine, Christians face marginalization under occupation, while in Armenia and Artsakh, their faith and cultural heritage have made them targets of aggression, particularly from Azerbaijan and Turkey. This article examines the challenges these communities face in the West Bank, the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem and Artsakh.
Persecution of Christians in the West Bank
The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, has seen a steady decline in its Christian population. Economic hardship, restricted movement and political instability have driven many to emigrate. Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, has been particularly affected. Israel’s separation wall has cut off Christian communities from their agricultural lands and made access to religious sites increasingly difficult. Today, only 13% of Bethlehem remains accessible to Palestinians.
Christian clergy in the West Bank frequently face harassment, and churches and monasteries have been vandalized, with crosses and statues desecrated. In 2023, a 10-foot statue of Jesus at the Church of the Flagellation—believed to be on the path Christ walked to his crucifixion—was shattered and thrown to the ground. Christian residents and clergy are routinely spit on, harassed and even physically attacked. Data compiled by the organization Tag Meir shows a sharp increase in such incidents, with more cases reported in the first three months of 2023 than in the previous two years combined.
Threats to the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem
The Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem has been a refuge for Armenian Christians for over 1,500 years, yet its existence is increasingly threatened. Armenians arrived in the fourth century and later in the early 20th century, fleeing genocide under the Ottoman Empire. Today, Armenians face an existential threat to their presence in the Old City. Armenian residents frequently report harassment, with clergy spit on and religious sites defaced. Like Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, Armenian Christians hold residency status but not citizenship, leaving them effectively stateless.
Another major challenge is the ongoing real estate dispute over the Cows’ Garden, a large section of the Armenian Quarter. In 2021, the Armenian Patriarchate leased 11,500 square meters of land to Xana Gardens Ltd., an Israeli company with ties to settler groups. The deal, which accounted for 25% of the Quarter’s land, sparked outrage, with Armenian residents accusing church officials of betraying their community. Following mass protests, the church official responsible for the agreement was defrocked, but the dispute remains unresolved. This legal battle highlights the broader struggle of Jerusalem’s Armenian community, whose numbers continue to dwindle amid increasing pressure from settlers.
The Erasure of Armenian Christianity in Artsakh
Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, has been home to Armenian Christians for centuries. However, this heritage has been systematically targeted, particularly by Azerbaijan. During the 2020 war, Azerbaijani forces shelled Armenian churches, including the historic Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, which was bombed twice in a single day. These attacks were not just acts of war but deliberate attempts to erase Armenian Christian heritage.
Following Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor in 2022-2023, over 120,000 Armenians were forced to flee, effectively ending the Christian presence in Artsakh. Cut off from food, medicine and basic necessities, the population faced starvation until Azerbaijan’s military intervention forced them into exile. This ethnic cleansing marks a tragic end to centuries of Armenian Christian life in the region.
Conclusion
The persecution of Christians in Palestine and Armenia reflects a broader pattern of marginalization and erasure of ancient Christian communities. In Palestine, Christians navigate the challenges of occupation and societal pressures, while in Armenia and Artsakh, their faith and cultural identity make them targets of aggression.
The international community must do more to protect these vulnerable communities, ensuring religious freedom and preserving cultural heritage. The survival of these ancient Christian populations is not merely a religious issue—it is a fight to maintain the historical and cultural diversity of these lands. If their voices are not heard, the world risks losing invaluable Christian legacies that have endured for millennia.
Armaan Mooradian
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Now is time that President Trump show that he means what he says, the President promised to protect Christians from persecution.
A clarion call for the Christian world to wake up; but, alas, it mostly continues to sleep, including the diaspora leadership. Indeed, for the past half century, this country has been throwing pearls to swine, and I wonder that it has not already suffered the consequences (Matt. 7:6).
Tulsi seems to be a breath of fresh air, but she is not Secretary of State (yet)!
What basically moves powers and countries all over the world is self-interests, even human rights and values are subdued to these interest , if not openly but rather indirectly with flagrant contradictions between expressed slogans and actual actions. The most flagrant example is UNESCO who honors cultural heritage criminals (Aliev family) against material donations.
What can safeguard our national interests is the prevalence of a national perspicacious and credible political leadership that can unite and engage, if not all, at least most of the Armenian capacities in the world towards unified actions and targets. Actually, most of the Armenian capacities, which are tremendous, all over the world are isolated, with their exclusion, or the overwhelming centripetal effect of the existing national organizations with their anti-democratic or selfish leaderships, mainly concerned with their partisan skirmishes. The most flagrant example is the Armenian government whose existence and persistence is merely due to the absence of any credible alternative.
Jesus was a Jew living in ISRAEL.