Here’s What It’s Really Like to Live as a Christian in the Holy Land

The Christian Experience Under Occupation

Mother Agapia begins by explaining the precarious existence of Christians in the Holy Land, particularly in Palestinian territories like Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Although Israel proper grants citizenship to some Palestinians — including Christians — allowing them to live and work, Palestinians living under occupation frequently suffer severe restrictions affecting nearly every aspect of their daily lives. Bethlehem, Jerusalem's Mount of Olives, Jericho, and sites such as Jacob's Well, hold profound Christian significance but these areas are predominantly Palestinian and subject to tight Israeli controls.

Christians in Bethlehem face checkpoints and permit requirements to visit religious sites or see family, with permits often denied arbitrarily, especially in recent years. As Mother Agapia relates, even personal healthcare can become a struggle; she recounts the story of a man suffering prostate cancer unable to receive timely treatment in Jerusalem due to permit refusals and forced to endure grueling detours. This reality encapsulates the experience of living "in a gilded cage"—able to live in traditional Christian lands but separated from the wider Christian community and life by barriers that severely impede religious practice, familial bonds, and normal human interactions.

Decline of the Christian Population

The Christian population in the Holy Land has steadily declined since Israel's founding in 1948, a trend tied closely to broader policies favoring Israeli dominance over Palestinian territories. Mother Agapia highlights how settlements have expanded aggressively over the years, swallowing land traditionally owned and inhabited by Palestinians, including many Christians. She speaks sorrowfully of witnessing settlements grow from small enclaves into sprawling cities, roads once open now blocked off by walls and checkpoints, and Christian properties confiscated or appropriated.

One poignant example is the construction of the separation wall on Christian land near Bethlehem, which bisects families, schools, and religious sites. Sometimes, Christian institutions themselves become casualties; she remembers a Christian boys' home that was partially seized and cut apart for the wall's route. The ongoing expropriation of land and the hostile infrastructure effectively drive many Christians to emigrate, as life under occupation grows untenable. This displacement threatens not only the livelihood of local Christians but also the survival of the culture and heritage embedded in these ancestral lands.

The Role of Christian Zionism

Mother Agapia confronts a troubling paradox: while the United States is a majority Christian nation and Israel's most significant benefactor, Christians in the Holy Land receive no special consideration or protection. The reasons for this are complex, not least because of the strange alliance between some American Christian supporters and Israeli policies that contribute to Palestinian suffering. She is critical of Christian Zionism, a theology embraced by certain American evangelicals that anticipates an apocalyptic "rapture" and often supports Israeli expansion to fulfill end-times prophecy. This belief system, Mother Agapia contends, is at odds with authentic Christian teachings and ultimately harms Palestinian Christians by endorsing policies leading to displacement and violence.

American political figures who vocally present themselves as devout Christians, such as Senator Ted Cruz, often champion this perspective, backing increased funding and arms to Israel with little regard for Palestinian rights or the consequences faced by indigenous Christian communities. This has created a chasm between the reality on the ground and American public understanding, with many unaware or unwilling to confront the harmful effects of unconditional US support.

Daily Realities and Hostilities Faced by Christians

Christians living in Palestine encounter not only political but cultural and social challenges. While Palestinian Muslims and Christians often share close bonds and mutual respect — with many Muslims revering Jesus as a prophet and participating harmoniously in mixed schools and communities — tensions with Israeli settlers and soldiers present a stark danger.

Mother Agapia describes incidents of harassment, vandalism, and even violence directed at Christians by extremist settlers, some of whom openly express hostility towards Christian sites and symbols like crosses. The escalation of settler aggression, including attacks on churches, gravesites, and homes, increases the fear and instability experienced by the community. Such acts often go unpunished, fostering a climate of impunity.

Even nuns and priests have experienced direct affronts, including spitting and intimidation. Israeli military presence intensifies this atmosphere: restrictions on movement, curfews, raids, and checkpoints make daily life fraught with uncertainty. Mother Agapia recalls a deaf-mute man shot by soldiers at curfew outside her convent, and a teenage altar boy killed by sniper fire during the siege of Bethlehem in 2002.

The Siege of Bethlehem

The 2002 siege of the Church of the Nativity symbolizes the physical and spiritual trials endured by the Christian community. The siege was not solely an assault on a church but on the entire Christian life and hope in the region. Basic necessities became scarce, medical help was blocked, and violence engulfed the town. These events deeply affected Mother Agapia and others witnessing how the occupation extends into sacred spaces.

She rejects the common narrative framing the conflict solely as a battle between Muslims and Jews or a fight against Islamic terrorism. Instead, she stresses the occupation itself as the core issue, underscoring that Palestinian Christians are caught in the same systemic hardships as their Muslim neighbors. The demonization of Palestinians as terrorists obscures the suffering and realities of innocent people struggling to survive under military control.

Christians in Syria and Lebanon

The plight of Christians is not confined to Palestine and Israel. Mother Agapia also discusses how Christian communities across the Levant — in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq — face existential threats linked to wars largely influenced by foreign powers and geopolitical agendas. Vibrant Christian populations that once thrived under more stable regimes have been reduced dramatically due to conflict, displacement, and targeted violence.

She critically views US foreign policy as complicit in undermining these communities by supporting groups and regimes that fuel instability and sectarian violence. The erosion of Christian presence throughout the Middle East represents not only a humanitarian crisis but the loss of a foundational thread in the region's cultural and religious tapestry.

The Path Forward: Awareness, Advocacy, and Hope

Despite the grim realities, Mother Agapia remains committed to raising awareness and calls on Christians worldwide — particularly in the United States — to recognize their responsibility and power. She emphasizes that political change is imperative, urging American Christians to question unconditional support for Israeli policies and Christian Zionism's theological distortions. She sees potential in grassroots education, pilgrimage, and advocacy to bridge the gap between distant consumers of news and lived experience.

Her hope rests on solidarity, authentic Christian witness, and an end to the occupation, envisioning a future where Palestinians, both Christian and Muslim, can live in freedom and dignity. The preservation of the Holy Land as a living center of Christian faith and heritage depends on this justice.