What You Can Do
Living out our faith means standing with the oppressed—
without making excuses for injustice.
For too long, churches and Christians have supported the status quo in Israel/Palestine without realizing the harm. Through tithes, mission trips, silence, or just being uninformed—we’ve helped prop up occupation, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing in the Holy Land.
But we can choose a different path. One rooted in truth, accountability, and the radical love and justice of Jesus.
Understand How Power Operates: AIPAC + CUFI
Two of the most powerful forces shaping American public opinion and policy
around Israel are:
AIPAC
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a massively influential lobbying group. It donates millions to politicians who support unconditional military aid to Israel. If a candidate criticizes Israeli policy—even mildly—AIPAC will often fund their opponent. Many lose their seat. They make sure any politician who dares speak up pays a price.
CUFI
Christians United for Israel is the largest pro-Israel Christian organization in the U.S. They promote a theology that says blessing the modern State of Israel is required to fulfill biblical prophecy. But here’s what they rarely say out loud:
This “support” means ignoring the suffering of Palestinians—including children, entire families, and communities—and excusing policies that Jesus would never condone.
Many Christians don’t even realize they’ve absorbed this theology. It sounds spiritual. It quotes Scripture. But it turns Jesus—a brown-skinned, oppressed Jew who flipped tables and sided with the marginalized—into a symbol of empire, military force, and domination.
Why This Matters
Together, AIPAC and CUFI create an echo chamber that:
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Silences dissent
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Punishes political courage
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Confuses prophecy with politics
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Shames anyone who dares to speak up
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Drowns out Palestinian voices
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Equates criticism of Israeli policies with antisemitism
When we conflate loyalty to God with loyalty to a government, we’ve lost the plot.
Stop Funding Injustice: Settlements, Missions, and More
Many of us don’t realize where our money goes. But we have a right to know—and a responsibility to act.
Mission Trips & Pilgrimage Tourism
Many Christian tours to the Holy Land avoid the actual people who live there. They visit stones instead of living stories—taking in biblical ruins while ignoring the walls, checkpoints, and military occupation that dominate Palestinian life today.
But it goes deeper than erasure. These trips often subtly teach racism—casting Palestinians as threats, extremists, or inherently violent. Participants come home believing things like:
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“Palestinian children are raised to hate.”
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“Israel has no choice but to defend itself.”
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“There are no real Christians left in Palestine.”
This isn’t education—it’s indoctrination.
It's a spiritualized narrative that equates Palestinian identity with terrorism—while ignoring decades of dispossession, military violence, and apartheid.
We must name this for what it is: deeply rooted, often unconscious anti-Palestinian racism.
And when it’s wrapped in scripture, it becomes even more dangerous.
Instead of tours that ignore reality, choose trips that center justice, elevate Palestinian voices, and reflect the gospel Jesus actually lived—the one that sides with the oppressed, not the occupier.
Funding Settlements
Illegal Israeli settlements are built on stolen Palestinian land. Settlers frequently arrive with military protection, guns, bulldozers, and an air of impunity. Families are dragged out of homes that have been in their families for generations. Olive trees—centuries old—are torched. Water supplies are rerouted. Whole communities are bulldozed for new highways, walls, or “security zones.”
Some American churches, charities, and donors directly fund these settlements under the guise of “supporting Israel.”
Ask your church:
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Where do our donations go?
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Are we unknowingly funding land theft and violence?
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Are we complicit?
Books That Break the Narrative
Start with real voices. Real history.
Reading List:
Movie Night Picks:
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5 Broken Cameras (2011)
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Israelism (2023)
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No Other Land (2024)
Make it social: Host a screening. Invite friends. Bring snacks—and truth.
Follow the Frontlines
Don’t rely on mainstream media. Follow Palestinians, allies, and on-the-ground journalists who show what’s really happening.
Start with:
And share what you learn.
Start Conversations on Christian Campuses
If you’re in college, start there.
Print myth-busting flyers. Host a discussion. Organize a teach-in. Invite Palestinian Christian speakers.
You don’t need to be an expert—just willing to disrupt the silence.
Divest from Injustice: Support the BDS Movement
BDS stands for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions—a nonviolent movement led by Palestinians calling for freedom, justice, and equality. It works to pressure companies and institutions to stop profiting from the Israeli occupation and apartheid policies.
Why it matters:
Since October 7, 2023, more than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, 2/3 of them are women and children. Thousands more remain missing under rubble. This is not war—it’s mass death. And we fund it.
Just like global boycotts helped bring down apartheid in South Africa, BDS uses peaceful economic pressure to push for:
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An end to the occupation of Palestinian land,
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Equal rights for Palestinians inside Israel,
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The right of return for Palestinian refugees,
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A stop to the indiscriminate killing of civilians,
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Accountability for war crimes
This isn’t about targeting Jews or Israelis.
It’s about holding a government accountable for repeated human rights abuses—through the same nonviolent tools used by Dr. King, Gandhi, and the Civil Rights Movement.
As Christians, we’re called to:
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Stand with the oppressed, not the occupier.
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Refuse to fund injustice, no matter how politically popular.
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Let our money reflect our morals.
If we give our dollars to companies profiting from apartheid, we become complicit in the suffering.
If we withdraw them, we send a message:
Not in our name. Not in His name.
How You Can Take Action
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Check where your church or retirement fund invests. Ask: Do we fund companies tied to the occupation?
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Avoid products from illegal Israeli settlements.
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Use your voice to advocate for ethical spending at schools, churches, and public institutions.
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Learn more at bdsmovement.net
Give Where It Heals, Not Where It Hurts
Support groups on the ground doing the real work—without strings attached.
Here are a few to get you started:
Propaganda Is Policy
What many people don’t realize is that tourism in Israel is often a tool of state propaganda.
This isn’t a conspiracy theory. It’s official government strategy.
The Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs was created specifically to shape global opinion, silence critics—especially on college campuses and in Christian spaces—and make Israel look like a peaceful, freedom-loving democracy while actively occupying and oppressing millions of Palestinians.
This department has spent millions of dollars on coordinated campaigns to:
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Discredit human rights organizations
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Censor Palestinian voices
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Accuse critics of antisemitism
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And yes—even train Christian influencers and pastors on what to say (and what not to say) during trips to the Holy Land
Christian tours are tightly curated to promote Israel’s image. You’ll visit ancient ruins, holy sites, maybe even a military base—but never meet a Palestinian family.
You won’t see checkpoints. You won’t hear about home demolitions.
You’ll be told Israel is “surrounded by enemies,” while never meeting the people who’ve had their land taken or their children jailed.
That’s not a glitch. It’s the plan.
Control the Narrative. Teach Racism.
This isn’t just about leaving out the truth—it’s about shaping your perception.
Palestinians are often portrayed as terrorists, radicals, or people who “just hate Jews.”
You may hear that Palestinian kids are raised to hate. That they're brainwashed.
That "they" don’t want peace.
It’s textbook dehumanization.
And the most dangerous lie of all?
That criticizing the Israeli government is antisemitic.
Let’s be clear:
Antisemitism is real.
So is apartheid.
Calling out a government for oppressing people is not hate—it’s moral clarity.
But conflating the two is a deliberate tactic. It silences dissent.
It scares churches, seminaries, and student groups into complicity.
You Might Be Paying for This
This isn’t just happening somewhere else.
It’s funded by U.S. tax dollars, church donations, and Christian tourism.
Your money might be propping up:
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Armed settler violence
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Surveillance tech used on children
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Bulldozers that destroy Palestinian homes
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Propaganda campaigns targeting your own campus or congregation
You deserve to know what you're supporting.
Propaganda doesn’t just mislead.
It dehumanizes.
And it does real, lasting harm.