Our State Calls to Honor the Values of Christ This Holiday Season

As we commemorate this season of peace, reflection, and goodwill, I urge you to align your actions and policies with the values embodied by Jesus Christ, whose teachings many claim to hold dear. In light of Pope Francis’s recent unveiling of a nativity scene featuring baby Jesus lying on a Palestinian kufiya, we are reminded of the deep ties between Christianity’s origins and the land of Palestine. The Pope’s calls for accountability and investigations into the ongoing genocide in Gaza further compel us to act in ways that reflect justice, compassion, and truth. Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, a Palestinian pastor and theologian, has been an outspoken advocate for ending the siege on Bethlehem, Gaza, and all of Palestine. He challenges us to look beyond the commercialization of the season and instead live by Christ’s example of standing with the oppressed, advocating for peace, and rejecting complicity in injustice. Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, lies under siege today, as does Gaza, where families struggle to survive amid war, displacement, and an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. Christ taught us to love our neighbors, care for the downtrodden, and uphold truth and justice. Yet, as the U.S. continues to support policies that enable violence, collective punishment, and the destruction of Palestinian communities, we stray far from these values. Words of faith and declarations of Christian identity must translate into action: 1. Cease U.S. Support for Injustice: End economic partnership with Israel while its government perpetuates violations of international law, including the siege of Gaza and Bethlehem. 2. Demand Accountability: Support investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity, as Pope Francis has called for. 3. Advocate for Peace and Justice: Push for the lifting of blockades and advocate for the basic rights of Palestinians to live in dignity, safety, and freedom. As you serve in a position of leadership, I call on you as a member of a community of Christians, Muslims, Jews, and beyond, to act in alignment with the teachings of Christ, who stood unwaveringly with the oppressed and challenged the powerful. Let this holiday season be a time of genuine reflection, where policies reflect the hope, peace, and justice that the nativity symbolizes.