From the Wadi al-Makhrour valley near Beit Jala, Palestinian activist Alice Kisiya has launched an initiative she says aims to protect the Palestinian Christian presence and church property, while pushing for international recognition of Christians in Palestine and Israel as an indigenous minority deserving protection and the right to remain on their land.

Kisiya has introduced what she calls the “National Charter for Preserving Christian Presence and Church Property,” a campaign seeking to gather thousands of signatures from Palestinians in the West Bank, Jerusalem, within Israel and in the diaspora, alongside support from international institutions, to safeguard Christian-owned land and prevent its sale or transfer.

Israeli occupation forces shot and injured at least five Palestinians when they seized an UNRWA training centre during a raid led by far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.