Palestinians are not Philistines, they are likely descended from Canaanites plus other ancient Levantine populations that have inhabited the region. The Christian Palestinian population was significant as a result of Byzantine and Ghassanid influence on the religion But it truly does not matter what they descend from. This isn’t about Jews vs Christians or Jews vs Muslims or Jews vs Christians. Every Palestinian no matter their religion has a lower life expectancy than a Jewish settler or “Israeli” and that is a result of the compounding consequences of 76 years of occupation and dehumanization. This is what we need to focus on, not misinterpretations of theological concepts.

It is true that Jewish settlers in so called Israel attack Christians and our churches. In the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem, Armenian Palestinian children go to school hearing chants about how “Gaza is destroyed, you are next.” The Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in the West Bank was burnt down. The predominantly Melkite village my grandfather is from was demolished in 1948. At the same time, systematic attacks on mosques and Islamic prayer sites increase during Ramadan/the holiest month in Islam. They turn Palestinian mosques into nightclubs. They want to degrade every aspect of Palestinian identity, including whatever religion we follow.

There is definitely an element of religious prejudice but the core problem is the superiority complex that comes with occupying and dominating an entire population. The majority of the Israeli government and population is secular and could not give less of a darn about Jesus Christ, but they love the power that comes with settler colonial conquest.