In an interview with Mondoweiss, Rifat Kassis, General Secretary of Kairos Palestine, said, “The USCCB’s response to the expression of our concerns makes it clear that we, Palestinian Christians, are neither seen nor valued. Our existence and suffering are ignored in favor of a narrative that frames the situation solely as a conflict/issue between Jews and Muslims.”

Kassis continued, “This narrow perspective explains why the council did not propose a third document addressing the fears and suffering of Palestinian Christians, despite our unique struggles. Instead, they only created one document with the Jewish community and are about to release another focusing on Islam and Islamophobia. There is no sign that they are prepared to work with us to create even a statement on the suffering of the church in Palestine.”

Philip Farah, a member of the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace (PCAP)—comprised of Palestinian Americans across many denominations in the U.S.—told Mondoweiss, “At a time when Palestinian civilians are being massacred and starved to death, the USCCB has adopted a document that purports to counter antisemitism, but which is a thinly veiled attack on Palestinians and all who stand for a just peace in Palestine-Israel. How shameful.” Farah spoke of his relative in Gaza who died in the arms of her son, a physician, for the lack of basic medicine. According to Farah, many PCAP members—like their Muslim siblings in the U.S.—”have lost loved ones to Israel’s industrial-scale killing machine in Gaza.”