For Palestinian Muslims and Christians, the creation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, on the land of historic Palestine — and its devastating aftermath, known as the “Nakba” (the Catastrophe) — left deep, lasting wounds. Both communities were displaced or killed, losing homes and livelihoods and forced to live as refugees in their own motherland or in neighboring countries under the auspices of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
In refugee camps, Palestinians of both faiths lived under the same tents, wore the same clothes, ate and drank the same food and water and received the same health care provided by UNRWA. Snowstorms did not differentiate — Christian and Muslim children froze to death alike. Many were killed in similar ways during the Nakba.
The massacre in the Palestinian Christian village of Eilaboun on October 30, 1948, illustrates this tragedy. Israeli forces killed 14 young men from the village of approximately 330 residents — 12 by firing squad — before expelling the remaining villagers to Lebanon.
Similarly, the Palestinian Muslim village of Deir Yassin was attacked by Zionist militias on April 9, 1948. At least 110 villagers, including women and children, were killed, with reports of mutilation and rape. The village, located near Jerusalem, had a population of approximately 750 people. Survivors were expelled to East Jerusalem.
Under Israeli occupation, Palestinian Muslims and Christians have been subjected to physical and verbal abuse, assault and vandalism of religious symbols and places of worship.
Jews in Israel do not distinguish between Muslims and Christians in daily interactions — socially, religiously, culturally and commercially — often referring to both groups as “goy” (pl. goyim), a derogatory term for non-Jews.
Jesus is referred to in the Quran (Muslim Holy Book) throughout 15 surahs (سورة), which emphasize his unique birth and role as a messenger of God. The Jewish rabbis in Roman Judea accused Jesus of blasphemy and sought to execute him, but they lacked the authority. They took him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of the province, who ordered Jesus’ trial and then execution under pressure, to prevent a Jewish revolt. When Pilate saw that a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands to ceremonially cleanse himself of guilt in the presence of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this righteous Man’s blood.”
Muslim-Christian coexistence in the Middle East serves as a model to be emulated worldwide. Christian presence in the region dates back to the birth of Christianity. Islam arrived at the beginning of the seventh century, creating a shared civilization. The Holy Quran is replete with verses that oblige Muslims to treat people of other faiths with love and tolerance, and not to reject others. Peace is the central motto of the Islamic faith.
Muslims protect Christian holy sites
For more than 840 years, two Muslim families have held the keys to and guarded the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the holiest site in Christianity and a major pilgrimage destination for Christians since the fourth century. The keys of the Holy Sepulchre were issued on July 15, 1149. On February 10, 1187, the Muslim commander Salah al-Din Al-Ayyubi handed the keys to the Joudeh al-Husseini family, the sole legal custodians, and to the Nuseibeh family, who are responsible for opening and closing the church doors. These two Palestinian Muslim families perform this honorable duty daily in a spirit of goodwill and respect for both religions.
Adeeb Joudeh, the current keeper of the key, says, “The mission that my family has inherited demonstrates the extent of religious tolerance.” He added, “I see the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as a source of coexistence between the Islamic and Christian faiths.” Wajeeh Nuseibeh described the vital role played by these two families in Jerusalem, saying, “We maintain peace and security within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We open the Gate and close it together.”
The Pact of Umar is a document written by Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab to the people of Aelia (Jerusalem) when the Muslims conquered it in 638 AD, guaranteeing their churches and properties. At the main entrance to the Orthodox Armenian monastery in Old Jerusalem, an Arabic inscription is carved into the stone. It is a declaration guaranteeing the safety of Armenian holy sites and exempting Armenians from the poll tax.
In February 2023, three Jewish settlers stormed the Church of the Condemnation, located at the second station of the Via Dolorosa. One of them, a Jewish American tourist, smashed an olive wood statue of Jesus Christ with a hammer and attempted to set fire to the church. But a Muslim guard working for the church quickly risked his life to attack the vandal and arrest him before further damage could be done.
On October 8, 2025, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem and prayed with a crowd of Jewish settlers in a provocative manner, which was considered an act of aggression against Muslims.
On July 18, 2018, the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) passed a racist religious law called the “Basic Law,” which defines Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, and specifies the country’s significance to the Jewish people, excluding Christians, Muslims and Druze.
Islamic-Christian unity
Christianity was a revolution against the corruption and injustice of Jewish rabbis and leaders, their material dominance and usurious greed. Jesus said: “This is my Father’s house, a place of prayer. Do not make it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:13). “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
Islam, however, emerged as a revolution against fire-worship, idolatry and the corruption associated with them. The Quran affirms that all divine messages share a single origin. It speaks of the Torah and the Gospel with the utmost respect, acknowledging their powerful influence in guiding humanity away from error and misguidance. This is particularly evident when the Quran describes them as “guidance and light” (هدى ونور), and presents itself as the scripture that confirms the two holy books that came before it: the Torah and the Gospel.
The displacement and religious, social and national persecution that Christians and Muslims are suffering today in the Jewish State make it imperative to strengthen Islamic-Christian unity to preserve and defend their shared existence.
The current situation in the Eastern Mediterranean requires eliminating the notion of minorities and majorities, of weakness and strength, so that everyone can live with dignity.
The Vatican respects Muslims as worshippers of the one living, self-sufficient and merciful God, the Creator of heaven and earth. Muslims strive to submit to God’s commands, revere Jesus as a prophet and honor his mother, the Virgin Mary. For its part, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Cairo believes that the relationship of brotherhood, love and peace that unites Muslims and Christians is deeply rooted in history, because it began before the advent of Islam in Egypt, and even before Prophet Muhammad’s mission.
This relationship traces back to when the Prophet, at age 12, traveled with his uncle Abu Talib to the Levant on a trading trip and met the Christian monk Bahira. This meeting marked the first encounter between the Prophet of Islam and a Christian monk. Following the revelation of the Quran, Muslims migrated twice to a Christian country, Ethiopia, settling under the protection of King Ashama ibn Abjar al-Najashi, whom they met between 610 and 629 AD. It is worth noting that Al-Najashi was the only one for whom the Prophet offered a funeral prayer in absentia (صلاة الغائب).
Among the well-known figures advocating Christian-Muslim unity is Archbishop Theodosius Hanna (Atallah Hanna), a Palestinian belonging to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Before his ordination as a bishop, Theodosius was arrested, detained and interrogated several times by Israeli authorities on various charges related to “incitement.” Another figure is Sheikh Ekrima Sa’id Sabri, a religious Muslim leader and former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine from October 1994 to July 2006. Israel has arrested Sabri several times, most recently on August 2, 2024, after allegedly mourning Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination.
On February 28, 2024, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of the Supreme Islamic Council and a senior imam of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, received a delegation of Christian clergy, representing churches and institutions in the city of Jerusalem. The delegation included Archbishop Atallah Hanna; Archbishop Munib Younan, former President of the Lutheran World Federation; and Archbishop William Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for the Latins in Jerusalem and Palestine. Sheikh Ekrima emphasized the historical importance of Islamic-Christian coexistence and brotherhood in Jerusalem, as embodied in the Pact of Umar in 638 AD, and stressed the need to reinforce this bond for future generations. The delegation expressed solidarity with Sheikh Ekrima against Israeli aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque and against him personally.
On September 26, 2022, Father Manuel Musallam, a Palestinian Catholic priest, called for all Christians in Palestine to mobilize and protect Al-Aqsa Mosque from planned Israeli settler raids. In a press release, he warned that the “success of the settler plans to demolish Al-Aqsa Mosque means the demolition of the Christian and Islamic existence in Jerusalem.” Addressing Christians in Jerusalem and throughout historic Palestine, he urged them to stand alongside their Muslim brothers in defense of the mosque against Jewish aggression.
I encourage a sound understanding of religion that calls for a Christian priest and a Muslim sheikh to pray together in Jerusalem for justice, equality and the elimination of Jewish oppression and tyranny.
I also call for equal rights and responsibilities for all residents of the Eastern Mediterranean, instead of using the term “minorities,” which is frequently applied by Israelis. “Minorities” carries negative connotations, reinforcing feelings of inferiority and creating psychological barriers for those labeled as minority citizens. Based on what we observe in the Holy Land, it is evident that Islam and Christianity — unlike Judaism in this context — are not associated with extremist religious ideologies.
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