Just before Christmas the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem endorsed the “Kairos Palestine” document that calls for and end to the occupation of Palestine by Israel. It calls on churches around the world to help bring an end to “our catastrophe”, referring to the plight of the Palestinian people.

This comes at a time when Christians are leaving the Middle East in record numbers.

The document decries the emptiness of the promises and pronouncements about peace in the region. It reminds the world about the separation wall erected on Palestinian territory, the blockade of Gaza, the spread of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, the humiliation at military checkpoints, the restriction of religious liberty and controlled access to holy places, the plight of refugees awaiting their right of return, and Israel’s blatant disregard for international law, as well as the paralysis of the international community in the face of this tragedy.

They argue: “God created us not to engage in strife and conflict but together build up the land in love and mutual respect. Our land has a universal mission, and the promise of the land has never been a political programme, but rather the prelude to complete universal salvation. Our connectedness to this land is a natural right. It is not an ideological or a theological question only.”

They conclude: “in the absence of all hope, we cry out our cry of hope. We believe in God, good and just. We believe that God’s goodness will finally triumph over the evil of hate and death that still persist in our land. We will see here ‘a new land’ and ‘a new human being’, capable of rising up in the spirit to love each one of his or her brothers and sisters.”