Every year on May 15, we solemnly “commemorate” the Nakba, the “catastrophe” (in Arabic) that caused more than 750,000 Palestinians — more than 75 percent of the indigenous population living in historic Palestine — to flee their ancestral homes, either by force or intimidation, in the wake of the establishment of the State of Israel. This experience is permanently seared into the memory of all Palestinians – an open wound that cannot be healed as it continues to fester.
History is repeating itself as it often does when there is no acknowledgment or accountability for past wrongs. During the Nakba, more that 450 villages were completely erased. Today, a new Nakba is unfolding as neighborhoods are leveled by bulldozers and whole communities are displaced in preparation for more and more illegal Israeli settlements.
In light of these disturbing patterns of ethnic cleansing and forcible displacement, draconian new laws imposing greater restrictions on all aspects of daily life, we are now witnessing an escalation of attacks on Christians and an accelerated erosion of their presence in the Holy Land.
Click here to access Nakba Day 78: A Solidarity Toolkit offered by Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
A clarion call has come from Christian faith leaders in the form of two newly issued documents, one from Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth – Faith in a Time of Genocide and the other from Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem: They Returned to Jerusalem with Great Joy – A Proposal for Living the Vocation of the Church in the Holy Land. Both documents explicitly describe the current realities on the ground and challenge us as Christians to act in solidarity.
We encourage you to read these documents and discern how best you can advocate for the dignity and human rights which have for much too long been denied our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land.
- A Moment of Truth – Faith in a Time of Genocide, from Kairos Palestine
- Use this link to access a study guide for the Kairos II document
- They Returned to Jerusalem with Great Joy – A Proposal for Living the Vocation of the Church in the Holy Land, written by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
Take action today for Christians on the West Bank
Taybeh is the oldest – and now only – fully Christian village in the West Bank. As Catholics, we act and pray in solidarity with our Christian siblings in Taybeh and with all Palestinians, no matter their faith tradition, resisting occupation and settler violence.
The Catholic Caucus of Christians for a Free Palestine (CFP) have developed an online petition urging the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to
- Promote international legal accountability and demand an independent investigation into both settler violence and the financial and ideological support for settlements.
- Advocate for a protective presence on the ground in Taybeh and help establish emergency support programs to ensure stable and sustained income for affected families.
- Contact the US State Department and the Israeli embassy to hold Israel accountable and protect Taybeh.
We encourage you to use this link to sign this petition: “Catholics call on the USCCB to protect Taybeh.” The petition will close on June 19, 2026, after which the Catholic Caucus of CFP will deliver the letter to the USCCB.
>>We also ask that you use this tool from FOSNA to contact Congress regarding the surge of terrorist settler violence on our friends at Tabyeh.
Online events on May 15:
- Taybeh: A Christian call for peace from Palestine: Pax Christi International will hold this webinar starting at 8 AM Eastern with the parish priest of Christ the Redeemer Parish in Taybeh. Together we will reflect on the significance of Taybeh today, the challenges confronting Palestinian Christians, and the urgent importance of preserving the Christian presence in the Holy Land. This webinar will not be recorded.
- Joint Nakba Remembrance Ceremony starting at 1 PM Eastern/10 AM Pacific. Organized by Combatants for Peace, which was born out of the personal experiences of its Israeli and Palestinian founders, who were previously actively involved in violence against the other side.