In a compelling interview on the Superhumanizer podcast, Dr. Munther Isaac shares the rarely-told story of Palestinian Christians—an indigenous community facing existential challenges while largely forgotten in global conversations about the Holy Land.
Dr. Isaac's personal journey begins in Bethlehem, near the Shepherds’ Field. But his childhood memories aren’t of religious tourism but of military occupation during the First Intifada. "We watch the young kids throw rocks at the soldiers, run away between homes... Then curfews, then shooting. We go down on the floor when there is shooting around the house," he recalls. This reality, compounded by incidents of settler violence which reached record highs in 2024 with over 1,800 attacks recorded since October 2023 (Al Jazeera, 2025; Middle East Eye, 2025), shaped his identity. "You understand reality through the lens of what’s happening in Palestine," he explains, "the fact of a military occupation that controls every aspect of our lives."
The Palestinian Christian community—the oldest continuous Christian presence in the world—faces a catastrophic decline. In Bethlehem, Jesus's birthplace, Christians constituted 86% of the population in 1950; by 2016, that number plummeted to just 12% (NCR Online, 2016; TWN, 2019). Across Palestine, the Christian population has dwindled dramatically. In Gaza, where recent estimates suggest over 70,000 Palestinians have been killed by violence since October 2023 (LSHTM, 2025), the Christian community is nearing extinction, with reports indicating fewer than 1,000 remain (need verification, but widely reported). This demographic collapse occurs amidst relentless Israeli settlement expansion, deemed illegal under international law, which further fragments Palestinian communities and erodes their connection to the land.
Dr. Isaac speaks candidly about the painful experience of being forgotten—or worse, actively dismissed—by Western Christians, particularly evangelicals who claim solidarity with Christians worldwide. "You get this feeling that once the Western world realizes I’m a Christian, they will change their views," he shares. "I was very wrong... to them, I’m Palestinian first, and that’s the problem." This dismissal is starkly illustrated by the unwavering support for Israel from powerful Christian Zionist groups like Christians United for Israel (CUFI), which boasts 10 million members (NPR, 2024). When the U.S. moved its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 against the unanimous objections of local Christian leaders, Dr. Isaac notes, "You would think that American evangelicals... would care to listen to our opinion. They didn’t. And that’s when it was confirmed to me—they don’t care about us."
Despite these immense challenges, Dr. Isaac maintains hope through "Sumud"—Palestinian steadfastness and resilience. "We are a resilient people. We’re not going anywhere," he affirms. This resilience is rooted in deep connection to the land, inherited through generations. His vision offers an alternative to the status quo: a shared land with equal rights for all, moving beyond mere co-existence to co-resistance against injustice. "Those of us who oppose Zionism offer an alternative of sharing the land, of equality... And somehow this is radical," he reflects. For Palestinian Christians like Dr. Isaac, this vision isn’t just political—it’s deeply connected to their faith and their enduring presence in the land where Christianity began, a presence now facing unprecedented threats.
.svg)
