PEACE IN ISRAEL HAS A PALESTINIAN FACE

If you are praying for the peace of Jerusalem, like Psalm 122 instructs, then take a moment to reconsider your prayers and realign your focus.

The name JERUSALEM includes the hope for peace, as the last part of Jerusalem, “SALEM,” comes from the Hebrew word “shalom,” which means far more than just the absence of war – it embodies peace, wholeness, and completeness.

PEACE, wholeness, and completeness already entered Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, on a donkey – and they crucified him.  Those who prayed for the peace of Jerusalem then, and desired freedom from their oppressors, took Peace, nailed Him to a cross, and executed Him.  They were disillusioned when He did not meet their expectations, and the answers to their prayers became the object of their hatred.  PEACE became the villain.  PEACE entered the city on a donkey, but we know he left in a body bag.

If you think peace is the absence of war, you run the risk of harbouring the same expectations and respond in the same way.

Peace in Israel is not the absence of Hamas, but the presence of Christ.

But Peace didn’t leave Jerusalem.  Peace rose again and left His followers with a new instruction – this time not to PRAY for the PEACE of Jerusalem, but to WITNESS of the PEACE in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8).

He left His ambassadors and representatives behind.

Today, Peace is in Jerusalem, through His church and in the presence of His followers.

So, what does peace look like in Jerusalem today?:

According to the ISRAELI GOVERNMENT STUDY [1] Christianity in Israel looks as follows:

• Approximately 182,000 Christians live in Israel; they comprise about 9% of the State of Israel’s population. The Christian population grew by 2.0% in 2021.
• 3 out of every 4 (75.8%) of the Christians in Israel are Arab Christians. They constitute 6.9% of the total Arab population of Israel. Arab Christians in Israel regard themselves as Palestinian citizens of Israel.  They are a minority within a minority, navigating their unique cultural and religious identity.
• This is important. Peace in Israel has a Palestinian face
• Among the 7 million Israeli citizens who identify as Palestinian, approximately 160,000 are Orthodox or Catholic Christians
• Most of the Arab Christians reside in the Northern District (70.2%) and in the Haifa District (13.6%).
• The localities with the largest Arab Christian populations are Nazareth (21,100), Haifa (16,700), Jerusalem (12,900), and Shefar’am (10,500).
• In 2021, 2,434 infants were born to Christian women, about 72% of whom (1,749 infants) were born to Arab Christian women.
• The average size of a household headed by a Christian was 3.06 persons – similar to the size of households headed by a Jew (3.05), and lower than the size of households headed by a Moslem (4.46).
• In the 2020/21 school year, 26,752 Christian students – 1.4% of the total number of students – attended primary and secondary schools. 83.8% of Christian 12th-grade students were eligible for a matriculation certificate.
• Nearly 53% of Arab Christians and about 31% of non-Arab Christians pursued higher education after completing high school — a greater proportion than the Arab Muslim population (31.2%) and the Jewish population (48.2%).

IN CONCLUSION

In conversations about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it’s crucial not to overlook Palestinian Christians.  Their presence are the answers to the PEACE OF JERUSALEM.  They add depth and nuance to the narrative, emphasizing that the conflict isn’t solely framed as “Muslims versus Jews” but also involves this vibrant Christian community

When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem we therefore need to shift our focus away from the Nation and the City, and focus on the church.

 

[1] https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/news/exmasstats/en/Christmas%202022.pdf