Was Jesus Palestinian?
CONTRIBUTED BY CHOSEN PEOPLE MINISTRIES
WAS JESUS PALESTINIAN?
In December 2024, the Vatican sparked controversy by displaying a nativity scene in which the figure of the infant Jesus was wrapped in a keffiyeh. A scarf widely worn as a pro-Palestinian symbol, the keffiyah has long been linked to terror attacks on Israelis. This nativity display received wide backlash, with many asserting that the image served to deny Jesus’ Jewish identity and connection with the land of Israel.[1] Though the Vatican did not explicitly claim that Jesus was Palestinian, many have.
The Jesus-as-Palestinian trope has a long history in Palestinian nationalism. Yasser Arafat, for instance, called Jesus “the first Palestinian martyr.”[2] Mahmoud Abbas, the present leader of the Palestinian Authority (now in his twentieth year of a five-year term) has characterized Jesus as a “Palestinian messenger.”[3] In recent years, such language has been normalized in some Christian discourse, particularly among those critical of the state of Israel.[4] But what does history and Scripture say about Jesus’ land and background? What kind of message does it send when we apply a term like “Palestinian” to Jesus?
WHAT DOES “PALESTINIAN” MEAN?
First, we must clarify what “Palestinian” means and has meant historically. As it turns out, “Palestinian” as a national term is quite recent. The term did not even exist in the time of Jesus. It was not coined until the following century. In 135 CE, the Romans, who had just crushed a Jewish revolt against their rule, renamed “Judea” as “Provincia Syria Palestina.” How ironic that those who castigate Israel as a colonialist occupier champion a term that is itself a vestige of the land’s Roman occupation. The name change was an intentional step toward erasing Judea’s Jewish heritage. Though the Roman victories in Judea decreased the region’s Jewish population, it never disappeared. Indeed, Jewish people are the only group who can claim continuous presence (albeit with fluctuations in number) in the land of Israel for more than 3,000 years.
Over the centuries, this land has come under the control of several different empires. After the Roman Empire fell and before this land came under the British Mandate after World War I, the ruling empire did not refer to this region as “Palestine.” When Muslim Arab armies took control of much of the land in the seventh century, they divided it into provinces and called the whole region (extending to what is now Syria) Esh Sham. Western crusaders came in the eleventh century, naming the areas they conquered as “the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.” Later came the Mamelukes and even later the Ottoman Empire, who ruled this part of the world until 1917. But none of these empires knew of a region, province, or district of “Palestine.”
The Jewish community, in contrast, continued to speak of the land as eretz Yisrael (“the land of Israel”). To be clear, for about 1,000 years “Palestine” was an obsolete term, though “Israel” was not. “Palestine” only resurfaced as a major geopolitical term in the twentieth century. Following World War I, the British called the land that is now Israel “Palestine.” Even then, the British at times used the Hebrew abbreviation אי for the name ארץ ישראל (eretz Yisrael, “the land of Israel”) as well.[5] Though “Palestine” fell into disuse for centuries as a contemporary geographical marker, it appeared in European Bibles and maps. Applying “Palestine” to the land again in the twentieth century arose mainly from British Christians’ nostalgia for “Palestine,” a term they became accustomed to using for biblical lands. People living in this part of the world when the Ottoman Empire fell and the British came in did not identify as “Palestinians” or think of themselves as living in “Palestine.”
As with the Roman name change centuries earlier, “Palestine” was a term that a foreign power applied to the land they ruled, not a term that arose from the residents’ own self-understanding. In summary “Palestine” was not only coined a century after the time of Jesus but became an obsolete term for about a thousand years.[6] Jesus most certainly did not identify as “Palestinian.” To thrust this later, anachronistic label on Him is historically inaccurate. Most assuredly, Jesus is compassionate, especially toward the vulnerable, and welcomes all who come to Him in faith. But we need not, must not, resort to anachronistic labels to mourn with those who mourn.
SO, WHAT WAS JESUS’ BACKGROUND?
In the time of Jesus, the land that is now modern Israel included distinct regions including Idumea, Judea, Samaria, Phoenicia, and Galilee. Of these, Judea and Galilee appear most in the Gospels. In fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1–6). The climactic events of the Gospels—the Messiah’s death, resurrection, and ascension—happened in Jerusalem, which was also in Judea. Nevertheless, Jesus spent most of His life, including His three-year ministry, in Galilee. Scripture frequently presents the Messiah as “Jesus of Nazareth” (Matt 26:71; John 1:45).
“The land of Israel,” especially the regions of Galilee and Judea, is not merely the geographical setting for most of Jesus’ earthly life (Matt 2:20–21). This coming of God incarnate into the world is deeply connected with the land that God promised to the people of Israel and with the land that the Old Testament conveys as so central to God’s purposes in the world. References to cities or regions within the land of Israel are not simply a cultural carryover or a pragmatic geographical note. Israel, and especially Jerusalem, remain theologically significant in the New Testament. Jerusalem, for instance, is called “the holy city” (Matt 4:5) and “the city of the great king” (Matt 5:35). Over this very city Jesus wept because its inhabitants were “not willing” for Jesus to gather their children “as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings” (Luke 13:34).[7]
Moreover, the Scriptures clearly depict Jesus as Jewish. He regularly attended synagogue, observed Jewish holidays, and taught from the Hebrew Scriptures. Indeed, the very first words of the New Testament introduce “Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matt 1:1). These labels do not merely hearken back to earlier biblical characters. They remind us how God was working for centuries to prepare a specific family line to send His Son in “the fullness of the time” (Galatians 4:4). Jesus could not be the Savior of the world if He did not fulfill the hope of the Redeemer prophesied throughout the Hebrew Scriptures.
These prophecies connect the Messiah to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The line narrows to Judah and later to David. The kingly connection with David is especially prominent in the New Testament. Paul, in opening his most famous epistle, characterized Jesus as “a descendant of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3). One of Jesus’ last recorded words in the whole Scriptures is “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star” (Revelation 22:16).
WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
It is important for Christians to understand the historical-cultural context of the Gospels. But to call Jesus “Palestinian” is not merely a historical inaccuracy, reading a contemporary term back into the past. It is also misleading. Leaders who use this language are drawing on a Palestinian nationalist narrative that paints Israel as an oppressive occupying force. At least some who call Jesus “Palestinian” pay lip service to Jesus’ Jewishness, but nevertheless ultimately pit Him against the only Jewish-majority country in the world by identifying Him rather with Palestinians.[8] Many take the next step of depicting Jesus as a martyr of Jewish aggression, as Palestinian Lutheran pastor Munther Isaac has done repeatedly by speaking of Jesus as a Palestinian child “under the rubble in Gaza.”[9] In this paradigm, modern Palestinians take the place of Jewish people living in the land in Jesus’ day, and modern Israelis correspond to ancient Roman occupiers. This comparison distances Jesus from His Jewish identity.
Rebranding Jesus as Palestinian also serves a narrative that denies Jewish indigeneity in the land of Israel. After all, the Gospels, along with the rest of Scripture, testify to ancient Jewish presence and self-government in Israel. This legacy is a serious problem for those who deny Jewish people any historic right to live in the land. Calling Jesus Palestinian has proved a potent strategy to twist this example of ancient Jewish presence to imply that Jewish people living in this same land today are foreign occupiers. This Jesus-as-Palestinian narrative risks going even further.
By casting Israelis as Roman oppressors and comparing Palestinian deaths in the Israel-Hamas War to the death of Jesus, these leaders echo the centuries-old accusation that all Jewish people are perpetually guilty of killing Jesus. This charge has fueled immeasurable persecution of Jewish communities and remains a major obstacle to Jewish people considering whether Jesus is the Messiah. Indeed, many Jewish organizations recognize calling Jesus Palestinian to be antisemitic when it denies or minimizes Jesus’ Jewish identity, whitewashes the land of Israel’s millennia-long Jewish history, or implies Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus.[10] Describing Jesus as Palestinian often presents itself as compassion for Palestinian people, but it ultimately distorts historical fact and obfuscates the identity of Jesus and the land.
To summarize, labeling Jesus “Palestinian” is problematic because:
The land where Jesus lived was not called “Palestine” until about a hundred years after His ascension.
It minimizes His Jewish identity.
It denies the historic Jewish presence in the land of Israel.
It echoes the accusation that Jewish people are solely and perpetually responsible for the death of Jesus.[11]
A CALL FOR TRUTH
Truth matters. Especially given the rise of anti-Israel and antisemitic hate since October 7, it is crucial that Christians are clear on this matter. Jesus is a Jewish man who was born in Judea, spent almost all his life in the land of Israel—where He died, rose again, and will return. This fact does not mean we must or should support every Israeli policy, but it does speak to the Jewish heritage of the land of Israel. Above all, Christians must remember that Jesus can only be the Savior of the world if He is the Jewish Messiah who fulfills the many promises spoken through Hebrew prophets in the Scriptures. The eternal Son of God became incarnate in a Jewish woman in first-century Israel. These truths are foundational to the gospel that has since gone out to the whole world. “For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:30–32).
Contributed by Chosen People Ministries
Chosen People Ministries exists to pray for, evangelize, disciple, and serve Jewish people and help fellow believers to do the same. For over 130 years, Chosen People Ministries has proclaimed the gospel among Jewish people all around the world and trained fellow believers to reach their Jewish friends, family, and neighbors. Today, Chosen People Ministries serves in 20 countries and has over 130 missionaries on our team. As part of our mission, we work to advocate on behalf of the Jewish people, support Israel, and counter antisemitism.
[1] Times of Israel Staff, "Pope Francis Inaugurates Nativity Scene in Vatican Showing Baby Jesus on Keffiyeh," The Times of Israel, December 8, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/pope-francis-inaugurates-nativity-scene-in-vatican-showing-baby-jesus-on-keffiyeh/.
[2] Hen Mazzig, “Jesus Was Not a Palestinian, He Was a Mizrahi Jew,” Algemeiner, December 24, 2019, https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/12/24/jesus-was-not-a-palestinian-he-was-a-mizrahi-jew/.
[3] “Israel pans ‘outrageous rewriting of Christian history’ by Abbas,” Times of Israel, December 22, 2013, https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-pans-outrageous-rewriting-of-christian-history-by-abbas/.
[4] “Pax Christi USA Signs Statement Affirming Right of Palestinians to Live in Freedom and Dignity in Their Ancestral Homeland,” Pax Christi USA, March 14, 2025, https://paxchristiusa.org/2025/03/14/pax-christi-usa-signs-statement-affirming-right-of-palestinians-to-live-in-freedom-and-dignity-in-their-ancestral-homeland/.
[5] For instance, coins and postage stamps from the British Mandate period have the abbreviation. See “Palestine Mandate Coins,” B’nai B’rith International, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.bnaibrith.org/about-us/programs/for-culture-and-education/museum-and-archives/palestine-mandate-coins/.
[6] To learn more about the history of the term “Palestine,” see Salo Aizenberg, “‘Historic Palestine – A Misleading Anachronism,” Honest Reporting, March 29, 2021, https://honestreporting.com/historic-palestine-misleading-anachronism/.
[7] For deeper studies of the significance of the land of Israel in the New Testament, see Joel Willitts, “Zionism in the Gospel of Matthew: Do the People of Israel and the Land of Israel Persist as Abiding Concerns for Matthew?” and Mark S. Kinzer, “Zionism in Luke-Acts: Do the People of Israel and the Land of Israel Persist as Abiding Concerns in Luke’s Two Volumes?” in The New Christian Zionism: Fresh Perspectives on Israel & the Land, edited by Gerald R. McDermott (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2016), 107–165.
[8] W.S. Mosarsaa, “What Does It Mean To Say ‘Jesus Is Palestinian’?” Sojourners, February 20, 2024, https://sojo.net/articles/opinion/what-does-it-mean-say-jesus-palestinian.
[9] “Bethlehem Reverend Delivers ‘Christ in the Rubble’ Sermon,” Time, December 23, 2023, https://time.com/6550851/bethlehem-christmas-sermon-nativity-rubble/.
[10] “Antisemitic ‘Jesus Was a Palestinian’ Narrative Reappears for Annual Christmastime Farce,” Combat Antisemitism Movement, December 26, 2024, https://combatantisemitism.org/studies-reports/false-jesus-was-a-palestinian-narrative-reappears-for-annual-christmastime-farce/.
[11] To learn more about the history of and damage this accusation has caused, see Jennifer Miles, “Are the Jewish People Responsible for Killing Jesus?” Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem, accessed September 3, 2025, https://allianceforthepeaceofjerusalem.com/are-the-jewish-people-responsible-for-killing-jesus/ (Part One), https://allianceforthepeaceofjerusalem.com/are-the-jewish-people-responsible-for-killing-jesus-part-two/ (Part Two).