The devastation of Christian communities in the Middle East as a result of American policy is undeniable. Since America’s invasion of Iraq, the Christian population of Iraq plunged from 1.5 million to 150,000, according to a State Department report. The brutal Syrian civil war, in which the United States was involved indirectly, has decimated Christians there, causing nearly two-thirds to flee. Israel’s recent war, and American support for it, has continued this pattern. It has harmed and destroyed Christian communities in Palestine and Lebanon, some of the remaining places Middle Eastern Christians—the oldest Christian communities in the world—practice their religion in relative peace and security.
It is hard to know exactly how many Christians Israel, America’s closest ally in the region and a recipient of tens of billions of dollars in American military aid, has killed. But from the beginning of its war in response to Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, Israel’s own attacks on Christians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon have been well-documented. A selection of illustrative examples: Early in the war, an Israeli sniper killed a mother and her daughter and shot seven others inside Holy Family Parish. IDF tanks destroyed its convent, which housed over fifty disabled people. Pope Francis was an advocate for this church, calling its priest and parishioners nightly, no doubt contributing to its protection. In October 2023, Israel bombed the Church of Saint Porphyrius, killing eighteen. Prior to this war, Gaza Baptist Church, the only Protestant church in Gaza, was destroyed by Israeli bombs in 2008, and its pastor and congregation fled. Earlier this month, the Israeli military bombed the last fully functional hospital in the Gaza Strip, the historic al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital, damaging a genetics laboratory, the emergency department, and the adjoining St. Philip’s Chapel. Once run by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, the hospital is now administered by the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem. It is the only Christian hospital in the Gaza Strip.
In its war in Lebanon last year, Israel bombed St. George Melkite Catholic Church, killing eight, and launched a separate airstrike destroying the home of its priest. This marks the third time in fifty years that Israel has bombed St. George. This past fall, Israel bombed the majority-Christian town of Aitou, killing twenty-one. By December of last year, Israel had razed the Maronite village of al-Qaouzah. In November 2024, Israeli soldiers broke into a church in the village of Deir Mimas and filmed themselves mocking Christian marriage liturgies.
Christians have also suffered significant strain in the West Bank, often at the hands of the Israeli military and settlers, and deteriorating conditions there exacerbate sectarian tensions. The West Bank is home to ancient Christian churches and monasteries, including the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the famed Mar Saba, the Greek Orthodox monastery at which John of Damascus wrote his theological masterworks. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir recently stated that he supports annexing the entire West Bank this year. Some have suggested (perhaps sincerely, perhaps not) that Israeli rule of the West Bank would be better for Christians than Palestinian rule, but the IDF has been known to conduct raids on churches in the West Bank, one as recently as last year, and Israeli settlers have been targeting Christians in the West Bank for years.