Bearing Witness

Dr Meg Warner, Principal

In all of the publicity and complexity of the situation in the Holy Land it can be easy to forget that Palestine is home not only to populations of Jews and Muslims, but also to Christians. We do not hear often in our news broadcasts of the experience of Palestinian Christians, but they are impacted by policies and fighting in their homeland just as others are.

Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, for example, was closed by Israeli officials in late February, along with other sacred sites and places of worship, with the Israeli government citing security concerns in Jerusalem. Only a limited number of clergy are permitted entry, and there was no public access to worship over Easter. This represents one of the longest periods of restriction to entry to members of the public in the Holy Sepulchre’s history.

Dr Yousef Khoury, Academic Dean of Bethlehem Bible College, writes that the Nakba (“Catastrophe”) of 1967 “never ended”:

The State of Israel was created on the bodies of Palestinians, molded in the blood of innocent people, and constructed on the ruins of their towns. During the years of the Nakba, more than 750,000 Palestinians were dispossessed, including around 50,000 Christians, and hundreds of villages and towns destroyed. Within only a few years, Palestine lost nearly 35 percent of its Christian population. More than twenty churches were closed, and their communities were prevented from returning.

Dr Khoury is visiting Australia next month, supported by Palestinian Christians in Australia and the National Council of Churches in Australia. I have taken the opportunity to invite him to deliver the Principal’s Lecture for 2026 at Wollaston Theological College. The lecture will be held at 7.00pm on Monday 3 August. Dr Khouri will be examining the concept of the theology of a ‘just peace’ and asking, “How can Christians support a just peace in the Holy Land?’ You can book your free ticket on TryBooking (trybooking.com/events/landing/1598536) or by contacting Wollaston Theological College. Refreshments will be served. We expect heavy bookings, so get in early!