Jerusalem Christian leaders warn against Christian Zionist 'interference'
Christian leaders in Jerusalem have warned that "damaging ideologies" such as Christian Zionism threaten the future of Christianity in the "Holy Land and the wider Middle East".
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem said the advancement of ideologies pushed by Israeli-linked political actors could "mislead the public, sow confusion and harm the unity" of the city's Christian community - the world’s oldest.
Christian leaders in Jerusalem have long voiced alarm over the influence of Evangelical Christianity on US policy in relation to Israel, bolstering its financial and political backing for Tel Aviv.
The leaders expressed "deep concern" that proponents of Christian Zionism are "welcomed at official levels both locally and internationally".
They added that the promotion of the ideology, which teaches that blessing Israel brings personal and financial reward, constitutes an "interference in the internal life of the churches" and a disregard for Jerusalem's Christian leadership.
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The statement comes as Israeli policies, including land confiscation and illegal settlement expansion, in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, present a growing threat to Jerusalem's Christian communities.
A recent report by the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem found that policies such as settlement expansion and "unjustified taxation", are threatening "the existence of the community and churches" across the West Bank and Gaza, but particularly in East Jerusalem.
The report concluded that there was an “urgent need to protect Christian communities and our places of worship...throughout the West Bank, where settler attacks increasingly target our churches, people and properties”.
On Wednesday, the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine issued a statement condemning Israeli restrictions on work permits for teachers from the West Bank, leading to disruptions in the education sector, particularly affecting Christian institutions.
Christian schools in Jerusalem announced they would suspend classes and declare a mass strike in response to the restrictions, which they said are intended to disrupt Palestinian education and erode Jerusalem's Christian population.
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