With Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip entering its second year and no resolution in sight, the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center re-envisioned its planned international conference as a solidarity pilgrimage.
Sabeel, an ecumenical grassroots organization based in Jerusalem, is a beacon of hope for peace and justice in Israel and Palestine. Founded in the early 1990s by Palestinian Christians, including Reverend Naim Ateek, Sabeel advocates for a Palestinian liberation theology, weaving together Christian faith, justice, nonviolence, and human rights. Its name, meaning “the way” or “spring” in Arabic, reflects its mission to guide the region toward reconciliation and renewal.
The organization works tirelessly to address the challenges faced by Palestinians under occupation, promoting justice through dialogue, education, and international advocacy. Sabeel organizes conferences and workshops to educate global and local audiences about the Palestinian struggle. Its interfaith solidarity initiatives foster dialogue among Christians, Muslims, Jews, and other faith groups, building bridges of mutual respect.
Sabeel’s inclusive approach unites Christians across denominations. It plays a crucial role in amplifying the voices of Palestinian Christians, a small but resilient minority in the region, ensuring their perspectives and struggles are not overlooked. Internationally, Sabeel has established “Friends of Sabeel” chapters in numerous countries, mobilizing support and advocating for nonviolent resistance. The organization has supported the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement as a means to pressure Israel to uphold Palestinian rights. Through programs like KAIROS Palestine, Sabeel inspires action against injustice, drawing parallels with liberation movements in other parts of the world.
From November 17 to 22, 49 pilgrims from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom gathered in Palestine in solidarity with Sabeel. The November pilgrimage united an ecumenical group of clergy and laypeople, all committed to peace and justice.
At Sderot, an Israeli town near the northeastern border of the Gaza Strip, we found an observation deck, also serving as a memorial to Israel’s victims of the attack, had been set up just 600 meters from Gaza’s border. Strikingly, a group of schoolchildren on a field trip were there, putting coins into a telescope and raising their fists and middle fingers toward Gaza, while watching smoke rising from the region. This shocking spectacle felt like a grotesque form of entertainment—witnessing genocide and celebrating it.
Later, in Bethlehem, the Rev. Munther Isaac of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, led an evening worship session. He shared the Palestinian concept of samud—steadfastness—developed during the second intifada, which embodies a refusal to forget the past and to give up in the face of ongoing struggles.
On Tuesday, we visited the settlement of Um Al Kheir in the South Hebron Hills. We heard a spokeswoman from UNRWA, the UN Palestinian refugee agency, report an increase in Israeli attacks in the West Bank since October 7th, with 783 Palestinians killed, over 5,000 injured, and 1,300 detained.
In Ramallah, representatives from leading Palestinian civil society organizations—such as Addameer and Al-Haq—discussed the deteriorating conditions in both Palestinian communities and Israeli prisons. These organizations, labeled “terrorist groups” by Israeli authorities, have been crucial in documenting human rights abuses.
“There is no will on the part of the world to settle this issue,” noted Sam Bahour, a Palestinian-American businessman and founder of Economic Justice in Palestine.
Since October 7th, the number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has more than doubled, from about 6,000 to over 12,000. The conditions for these prisoners have worsened, with reports of sleep deprivation, psychological pressure, physical torture, sexual abuse, inadequate food, and denial of basic necessities like bedding, soap, and feminine hygiene products.
This wasn’t my first visit to Palestine, and with each trip, the situation has grown more dire. Qalandiya checkpoint, once a simple booth manned by a single soldier, has now become a fortresslike structure, complete with ramps, turnstiles, metal detectors, conveyor belts for belongings, and unsmiling soldiers behind plexiglass. “It’s just for humiliation,” a friend explained about the increasingly harsh environment.
Lulu Nasir, the mother of a young Christian Palestinian woman, described her daughter’s heartbreaking case. Layan Nasir had been arrested twice, first as a university student for student activism, and the second time in April, at gunpoint from her family home in Birzeit. She was held in an Israeli prison without charge; only her lawyer was allowed occasional visits and was not permitted to bring any papers to Layan other than legal ones, meaning her family could not write to her and had no contact with her. (She was finally released from detention on December 5, following public pressure, legal action, and bail payment by her parents.)
Despite the immense suffering caused by hunger, homelessness, bombings, raids, imprisonment, and economic hardship, those we met expressed gratitude to Sabeel for bringing groups of visitors. Palestinian communities are enduring more than just physical violence; they are grappling with severely depressed livelihoods.
As the assault on Gaza and other Palestinian areas continues, initiatives like Sabeel’s pilgrimages remind us of the human faces behind the headlines. They underscore the urgent need for action.