Post by Fr David Neuhaus SJ | 15 May 2026
Photo by Ahed izhiman
Thursday, May 14, 2026, was a terrifying day in Jerusalem. It is an annual event and each year it gets louder, more violent, more frightening. According to the Jewish calendar, May 14 this year, marked the anniversary of the occupation of East Jerusalem by the Israeli army during the war of 1967. The government minister responsible for the police paraded around the Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary, which Jews call the Temple Mount, a sacred Muslim shrine) with a huge Israeli flag. He was accompanied by a member of parliament who posted on Facebook, “The time has come to get rid of all the mosques and work to construct the Temple!”.
A little later, tens of thousands of Jews marched on the Old City of Jerusalem, waving flags and chanting slogans, wanting to show the world Jerusalem is theirs. Many of the marchers wore T shirts or banners calling for the building of the Temple, implying the destruction of the mosques of the Haram al-Sharif (including the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock). Moreover, many of the more extremist among them shouted slogans that proclaimed that there is no room in this city for Palestinians or others who will not bow to Jewish Israeli supremacy. Violence has become the most characteristic feature of this day.
On this day, some brave Israelis took it upon themselves to constitute a protective presence in the streets of the Old City. They sought to separate between Palestinian residents and the marchers who might seek to attack those they found on their way. Most Palestinians in the Old City did not dare go out of their homes.
An ecumenical think tank I belong to, headed by the Emeritus Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, published a reflection on our vocation as Christians.
A Jerusalem Voice for Justice:
an ecumenical witness for equality and a just peace in Palestine/Israel
In these turbulent times
May 14, 2026
May 14 commemorates the end of the British Mandate in 1948, a time when our people were driven out of their homes (the Nakba). Today, as they commemorate the 1967 occupation of Jerusalem, thousands of radical Israelis march through the city, sowing fear.
Many of our children and loved ones in this holy and blessed land are living in a state of turmoil, fear, and anxiety about an uncertain future. They are asking: Is constant war our fate, leaving in its wake unending bloodshed, pain, sorrow, and destruction?
As Christians, we are committed to the message of the Gospel. We have repeatedly emphasized that we reject war in all its forms. We reject armed conflict and consistently call for peaceful solutions, reason, and dialogue, which can spare our region further war, bloodshed, destruction, and sorrow.
We had hoped that the war that has erupted between the United States of America and Israel and Iran could be avoided. We continue to believe that agreements could be reached through negotiations and diplomatic channels. Yet today, we hear threats that the war will continue “until victory”. We ask, what kind of victory death, destruction, desolation?
To those who promote war as the only way, we say: war is not the way. We reiterate our call for an end to the bloodshed and destruction. We reject war and threats of war, because we believe that war is an absolute evil, benefiting only warmongers. The losers are civilians and among them the most vulnerable. They pay a heavy price in blood for the sake of the economic and political interests of warmongers.
If we truly seek an end to war in the Middle East, we must all focus on the core issue: the plight of the Palestinian people, who have been suffering since 1948. After October 2023, the catastrophe they face has intensified in the midst of an ongoing war in Gaza, waged to wipe out Palestine and Palestinians. And the war has spread to the West Bank, Lebanon, and beyond. We remind those in this world who need reminding that our Holy Land yearns for equality, justice and peace. The peace we speak of is a peace that guarantees the freedom and dignity of every human being.
For us, humanity is indivisible. Every drop of innocent blood spilled is our blood, precious and unique. Humankind was created in the image and likeness of God. God seeks for each one of us life, security, peace.
We call upon the wise and the reasonable of this world to continue to work tirelessly for peace. Let us silence the language of threats, intimidation, and violence for the sake of our children, the next generation, whose future we are ravaging.
We must not remain silent. Our people are suffering. They are attacked daily by police, soldiers and settlers. They are targeted among all those bearing the brunt of the violence. Those wearing religious attire and religious symbols are not spared in the atmosphere of violence that dominates. Racism is justified within the logic of war. We must tirelessly reject this language of hate and war.
Jerusalem is a holy city. It is venerated by Muslims, Jews and Christians. It is also the center of Palestinian life, culture and society. It is a city in which different peoples, religions and communities encounter one another. The hatred and racism that reign threaten the city’s identity and vocation. Jerusalem is called to be a city of peace, but today it is far from peace.
As Christians in this land, we fervently offer our prayers for this land, for its peace, and for every person suffering and oppressed within it. As Christians, we are called upon today, more than ever, to be a voice for every person who is suffering, oppressed, and tormented. We must be a voice for the voiceless.
This blessed land is our home. It is also a holy land of sacred sites, where Jesus was born, lived and taught, suffered and died, and rose from the dead. We are called to make his voice heard. Through us, he continues to teach equality, justice, peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Signatories:
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah (emeritus)
Lutheran Bishop of the Holy Land Munib Younan (emeritus)
Greek Orthodox Archbishop Attallah Hanna
Mr. Yusef Daher Ms. Sawsan Bitar Mr. Samuel Munayer
Ms. Dina Nasser Mr. John Munayer Ms. Sandra Khoury
Rev. David Neuhaus SJ Rev. Frans Bouwen MAfr Rev. Firas Abdrabbo
Mr. Rafi Ghattas Rev. Alessandro Barchi and other members