‘Now go, attack Amalek’

Palestinian Christians from the West Bank and Gaza must acquire permits issued by Israel to enter Jerusalem for worship.

For Holy Week, only 6,000 Christians were granted a permit out of 50,000 eligible residents. Christian schools cannot recruit teachers from the West Bank, even though it means there aren’t enough teachers for their students.

The Israeli government is now taking away Christian religious authorities’ control over their own sites, giving them only “freedom of access”.

Various Israeli groups are using their strong influence over government institutions to deny visas to Christian tourists and volunteers. This year, settler violence specifically targeting Christian villages like Birzeit and Taybeh has increased.

The Israeli government says it has a “zero-tolerance policy” toward attacks on religious minorities. Community leaders report a growing gap between official rhetoric and on-the-ground enforcement. Most of the reported harassment cases are closed without investigation or law enforcement action. Church leaders warn that such “growing normalisation” of anti-Christian hostility undermines the impact of police arrests.

“To your descendants have I given this land… from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates… as an everlasting possession.” These words from Genesis are quoted by those who believe that God had the Israel of 1948 in mind to justify exclusive Israeli sovereignty over the land and the expulsion of Christians and Muslims born in Palestine.

They want a Greater Israel to expand into parts of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. They believe that the land has been given to them as a divine gift and that modern international law and the rights of other inhabitants are irrelevant.

They also quote ‘Ezekiel’ to claim that they have a mandate from God to purify this land from unclean influences, “defiling the sanctuary” with “detestable things” and “abominations”.

They view Christian symbols like the cross as “idolatry” and justify spitting attacks, insults and the disruption of religious processions.

At the beginning of the present war on Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared: “Remember what Amalek has done to you, we have been commanded. And we do remember.” He invoked the Bible (1 Samuel 15:3): “Now go, attack Amalek, and destroy all that they have, and spare no one; but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”

Most of the American and European leaders disingenuously said in October 2023:  that “Israel is a democratic state guided by very humanitarian principles, so we can be certain that the Israeli army will respect the rules that arise from international law in everything it does” (German Chancellor Olaf Scholz).

Between October 7, 2023 and April 8, 2026, a total of 72,315 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip and another 172,137 injured. If the biblical stories concerning Amalek were entirely mythological, Gaza’s killing fields are not.

UN agencies report that almost all school buildings in Gaza – including those Christian institutions which educated both Christian and Muslim students – have been almost entirely obliterated by the Israeli army. The education system has effectively collapsed, with almost no children attending formal school for over two academic years.

The US is showing unconditional support for Israel even in its genocidal policies

All three historic Christian churches have also been damaged extensively or completely destroyed. These churches often served as the ultimate sanctuary for the territory’s dwindling Christian population and hundreds of displaced Muslim neighbours. Around 5% of Gaza’s Christian community - around 1,000 in 2023 - has been killed in the last three years.

US unconditional support

Between October 2023 and this March, 1,071 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including the Palestinian Christian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, shot while reporting in Jenin.

As of April 2026, the World Bank, UNICEF and WHO indicate that more than 81% of all physical structures in Gaza have been destroyed. All 12 universities in Gaza have been totally or partially destroyed. Over one million people have had their homes destroyed, leaving only 10% of the population with permanent accommodations.

The healthcare system is at breaking point. More than 84% of Gaza’s 36 hospitals have been damaged or destroyed. Only 17 hospitals remain even partially functional, often operating without adequate fuel, medicine, or staff.

Farmland has been extensively targeted by the Israeli army, leaving most of the people of Gaza without food. A total of 87% of all croplands have been damaged with only 1.5% still usable for farming. Ninety seven per cent of trees have been destroyed.

Eighty per cent of power transmission infrastructure has been destroyed. The only power plant has been repeatedly damaged and shut down due to fuel blockades. Seventy per cent of Gaza’s solar panels have been damaged or destroyed. A total of 85% of agricultural water wells and most of the municipal pumping stations are out of service. Only 5% of the water system functions, leaving 93% of liveable households with severe water shortages. The sewage system has been destroyed causing pollution and health hazards.

Gaza’s air, sea and land will remain heavily contaminated for many years to come by the chemicals of the more than 100,000 tonnes of explosives dropped by Israel.

Last month, Israel passed the Death Penalty for Terrorists Law. The law mandates death by hanging for offences classified as “terrorism related” and, as written, applies exclusively to Palestinians. UN experts call this law discriminatory and say it violates Israel’s obligations under international human rights law.

There are over 9,000 Palestinians (including 400 children and dozens of women) held in Israeli prisons, with thousands more detained from Gaza, and at least 3,400 held without charge under administrative detention. Reports from human rights groups and former detainees allege severe mistreatment, including torture, starvation, severe overcrowding, sexual assault and denial of medical care, repeatedly describing conditions as inhumane.

In July 2024, soldiers tortured and sexually assaulted a Palestinian detainee, leaving him with serious injuries. Israel has just approved the return to service of these soldiers, dropping all charges against them.

The blackmail of the US elite in the Epstein Files and the pro-Israel lobby financing of US politicians ensure US unconditional support for Israel even in its genocidal policies.

Evarist Bartolo is a former Labour foreign and education minister.