AMSTERDAM, July 29, 2025 (WAFA) - As part of its sustained efforts to rally international support and expose Israel’s ongoing violations against the Palestinian people, the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine participated in the international conference “Doing Justice, Loving Mercy,” held in Helvoirt, the Netherlands, from July 25 to 27, 2025.
The event was hosted by Kairos-Sabeel Netherlands and brought together a wide range of church leaders, legal experts, human rights defenders, and academics from Europe and Palestine.
Representing the Committee was Ambassador Amira Hanania, its representative in Europe, who participated in a central panel titled: “Genocide in Gaza and Ethnic Cleansing in the West Bank – Palestinian Christians Are Not Spared,” alongside a distinguished group of international speakers.
In her address, Ambassador Hanania painted a grim picture of the catastrophe in Gaza, stressing that the deliberate imposition of famine constitutes a war crime, an intentional act of starvation used as a weapon, leading to the deaths of children from hunger and malnutrition.
She also highlighted the targeted destruction of churches and Christian institutions in both Gaza and the West Bank, warning that the Christian presence in Palestine now faces an existential threat unprecedented in its modern history.
“We are not merely appealing to the world’s conscience, we are demanding the enforcement of the international law it so often claims to uphold,” she said.
“The international community must make a choice: Will it stand with the victims or with their oppressors? With humanity or with the machinery of war? With the values it proclaims in global forums, or with the narrowness of its interests?”
Ambassador Hanania drew particular attention to the escalating settler violence – under the protection of Israeli occupation forces – against the town of Taybeh – the last wholly Christian town in Palestine – as a clear example of Israel’s attempts to displace the indigenous population and systematically erase their religious and cultural heritage.
She reaffirmed the Committee’s unwavering commitment to its international advocacy campaign, vowing to intensify diplomatic and media efforts in cooperation with global churches and human rights institutions. These efforts aim to expose the ongoing crimes of the occupation, ensure accountability, and end all forms of international complicity. She urged the global community to break its silence and take meaningful action to halt the genocide against the Palestinian people.
The conference also featured the screening of the documentary “Via Dolorosa,” directed by Ambassador Hanania. The film traces the historical journey of Christianity in Palestine, from the birth of Jesus Christ through successive eras to the present day. It stands as a powerful testimony to the deep-rooted and enduring presence of Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land.
The conference sessions included contributions from prominent figures in academia and the church. Reverend Munther Isaac delivered a keynote address confronting the role of some Western Christian communities, particularly Christian Zionists, in enabling the ongoing atrocities. He called for a clear theological rejection of this complicity, emphasizing that true Christian faith aligns with justice and truth.
Other participants included Shireen Awad, Yousef Alkhoury, Lama Mansour, and Saif Kassis. Workshops were also held to develop strategies for advocacy and mobilization.
The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine concluded by reaffirming its dedication to defending the rights of the Palestinian people, particularly the indigenous Christian presence, which remains an integral and inseparable part of Palestine’s national and historical identity.
T.R.
