opinion Christian lives must matter beyond the Israel debate

They came to a church to say goodbye to someone they loved. Then gunmen opened fire.

On October 23, mourners gathered at Saint George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud, Jordan, became the victims of a deadly attack. By Saturday morning, Reuters reported nine people killed and 40 wounded. Families already grieving were confronted with more loss.

As an Arab Christian born in Nazareth and raised in Israel, I find this painfully close to home. I think about the churches I grew up in and the families who gather every Sunday. I think about how familiar that gathering would have felt before the shooting began.

And I believe this deserves sustained attention from a world that speaks so passionately about human rights.

Let us be accurate: Reuters, the Associated Press, and The Washington Post covered the attack. It would be wrong to claim there was a media blackout. The question now is whether the victims, their families, and the future of their community will remain part of the conversation after the initial reports disappear.

Consider the international coverage of Christians being spat at in Jerusalem in October 2023. Reuters and AP reported those incidents, as they should have. Israeli police arrested suspects, and Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the behavior. Those acts were disgraceful. As a Christian, I expect the authorities in my country to take them seriously.

But the moral concern that makes harassment in Jerusalem an international story must also sustain our attention when mourners are shot at a church across the border. Anyone who speaks about protecting Christians in the Holy Land should be prepared to defend their lives and freedom throughout the region.

Would we demand continuing coverage, public solidarity, and accountability if this massacre had happened in Israel? We should demand those things for Jordan’s victims too.

My support for Israel comes from my life here. I am Arab, Israeli, and a believer in Jesus. I want my country to succeed, and I want it to live up to its responsibilities toward all its citizens.

That includes protecting Christians. Supporting Israel means being willing to confront hatred within our own society. It also means insisting that Israel be judged fairly, with the same care for context and evidence that we expect elsewhere.

For the West, this is a test of conviction. Freedom of worship, equal citizenship, and the protection of minorities are values worth defending with confidence. They should shape our diplomacy, our public attention, and our support for communities facing violence.

I want a West that stands firmly beside Israel against terrorism and stands beside Jordan as it protects its churches and pursues the attackers. I want Western churches to remember that the Christians of this region are living communities, with children to raise and futures to build.

That requires follow-through: reporting on the investigation, listening to survivors, supporting affected families, and asking whether people can return to worship safely.

Our concern for Christians must reach beyond the moments when their suffering becomes useful in an argument about Israel. A consistent defense of religious freedom gives our advocacy credibility and gives vulnerable communities reason to believe they have not been forgotten.

The families in Hamoud deserve justice and solidarity. And they deserve our attention long after this weekend.