The plight of Palestinian Christians and the American right

By Walid Tamtam 

Source: Al Mayadeen English

The increasing attention on 'Israel's' actions in Gaza is shedding light on the struggles of Palestinian Christians, overlooked and silenced, prompting a shift in American and international perspectives on the war.

Since October 7th, the growing international turmoil over "Israel's" genocide of the people of Gaza has brought countless injustices to light, including the shooting of two women, Naheda Anton, and her daughter Samar Anton outside the Holy Family Church in Gaza. This event has triggered a series of events highlighting attention on an often forgotten and deliberately ignored population, Palestinian Christians.  

Even with all the exposure of the plight of Palestinians, and the Palestinian Christians, there are still deliberate attempts to silence them. In December, two Palestinian Christians were targeted and killed by IOF Snipers, Seventy-year-old Nahida Khalil Anton, and her 50-year-old daughter, Samar Kamal Anton. Following the killing in January, the deputy Mayor of occupied al-Quds, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, who was interviewed regarding the IOF targeting civilians seeking refuge in Gaza’s Catholic churches, attempted to refute these claims by absurdly claiming there are no Christians in Gaza.

Members of the Palestinian Christian diaspora have stepped up to inform their communities of their existence and plight. Layla Moran, a Liberal Democrat MP in the United Kingdom whose extended family has just managed to flee out of Gaza to Bahrain. MP Moran shared her fears in an interview with The Guardian last December regarding the survival of her relatives who were sheltering in a church in Gaza, worrying if they would survive to see another Christmas, given the ongoing onslaught that has claimed many innocent Christians already.

In the United States, former US Congressman, the first of Palestinian heritage, now running for a Senate seat in Michigan Justin Amash, highlighted his relatives who were killed in October, at the Gaza Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church strike in Gaza City, posting on Twitter; “Give rest, O Lord, to their souls, and may their memories be eternal,” wrote Amash, who became the first Palestinian-American to serve in Congress in 2011. Mr. Amash has also been a vocal critic of right-wing figures who have sought to dehumanize Palestinians such as Fox’s Mark Levin, who wrote a column; “there are no innocent Palestinians”, arguing exactly what the title describes.

Perhaps the most significant event in media relating to Palestinian Christians is Tucker Carlson’s surprise interview with Palestinian Evangelical Pastor from Beit Lahm, Isaac Munther, who has been active in public engagement on behalf of the Palestinian cause. Ever since the conservative talk show host broke ranks with Fox News, narratives surrounding US foreign policy have changed drastically from the host once known for peddling State Department talking points on the war in Iraq. Tucker Carlson’s comment “A consistent theme of American foreign policy is that it is always the Christians who suffer”, drew significant backlash from unhinged, pro-"Israel" conservatives who fear that the Zionist-Evangelical alliance might fracture causing serious risks to future electoral support for "Israel" within the GOP, a party seeking to criticize Biden’s support for "Israel" as lackluster. Another perhaps younger prominent conservative voice is African American commentator Candace Owens who has also severed ties with her former employer, The Daily Wire over concerns regarding her criticism of the State of Israel. Due to her interview with prominent Jewish Academic Norman Finklestein, and numerous Twitter clashes with Zionist figures who occupy space within the conservative movement, she was labeled an antisemite on multiple occasions.

As American support for "Israel" diminishes, in line with the international trend, the GOP is also showing a decrease in sympathy for "Israel" and the Zionist cause. However, there seems to be a potential shift in narrative. This shift entails another formula of witnessing a drastic flip of narratives from a Jewish Zionist vs Muslim Terrorists to a Zionist occupation vs Palestinians and understanding Palestine as a society with a Christian heritage, rather than a barbaric entity, as described in American mainstream media.

All of this is happening because it is becoming clear to the faithful and independent-thinking American Christian community, that the people of Gaza, and the ancient Palestinian Christian community have more faith in their lowest hours than the likes of Rabbi Shmuley, Ben Shapiro, and the Zionist lobby that have made the mistake of taking American conservatives for granted amidst the ongoing genocide.