Over 600 people supported by ACS: “We fear that the Holy Land will become the next Syria”
Photo and press release ACS Italia – Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Christians and the persecuted – Aid to the Church in Need has intensified its support for the Christian communities of Holy Land. Currently, ACS directly supports 602 families through the provision of food vouchers, 128 families with the payment of expenses (e.g. utilities), and 122 people with medical support. This is in addition to the job creation program and other projects.
A delegation from the Pontifical Foundation traveled to Israel and the West Bank to assess the progress of the initiatives it is supporting, and to identify new ones. In many cases, especially outside Gaza, Christians are among those most affected by the conflict.
War without end
Dima Khoury heads the Department of Social Services of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (LPJ). «We fear that the Holy Land will become the next Syria, a war without end».
ACS was among the first organizations to provide financial contributions for many of the projects initiated by the Patriarchate, including the provision of food vouchers, the purchase of medicines and medical care, the development of a job creation program that allowed many to start working again, earning a living wage. «Among Christians in Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, we have supported 715 families through the Humanitarian and Emergency Relief Fund“, explained Dima Khoury. “With the ACS-funded job creation program, we have managed to kill three birds with one stone, supporting families, injecting money into the community, and keeping some Christian-run organizations afloat.“, he added.
Medical support for Palestinian Christians in the West Bank
A significant portion of the funding goes to medical support, especially for Palestinian Christians in the West Bank, who do not benefit from state health programs, since they are not Israeli citizens. In addition, the Patriarchate supports 200 chronically ill patients with drug therapies.
Another significant contribution has been the payment of school fees, even for those who do not attend the vast network of LPJ schools, and for university students of any Christian denomination. «AWe also have a serious housing problem, especially in East Jerusalem, as most Christians live in rented homes and are threatened with eviction if they are unable to pay their dues.“, says Dima.
The Bishop William ShomaliPatriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, explained to ACS that not a day goes by without a new request for help.
«The permits to enter Israel from the West Bank are the most important thing. There were 160,000 of them, now I think no more than 10,000, probably 8,000. But people really want to work.
That’s why I appreciate ACS’s support for job creation projects, rather than just charity. It’s a good principle and it defends their dignity.”
Sami el-YousefCEO of LPJ, regarding the suspension of permits to enter Israel to work, explained that West Bank residents «they thought it would take a couple of months, and then Israel would reissue the permits, because they need the workers. But with the current Israeli mentality, that doesn’t matter. They started importing migrants from all over the world. That doubles their labor costs, and the migrants don’t have the skills or the value of the language».
This shows how the October 7 attacks have led to a complete breakdown of trust between Arabs and Israelis in the Holy Land. The CEO of the Patriarchate concludes:
“If we focus too much on the political horizon, we will pack up and leave. However, this land has seen many crises in the past, and the Church has always found a way to be the livelihood of the community.
There is no reason to believe that things will be different.
It is more difficult, and we must think carefully about what we will do in the future, but I am sure that the Christian presence will survive, and the Church must be present with its institutions.”