Freedom of Speech, American Style: Visa Denial for Palestinian Priest Who Tells of Israeli Crimes in Gaza and the West Bank

Washington: According to Raaz News | The US State Department has refused to issue visas to two Palestinian priests who were scheduled to speak at events about genocide in Gaza and Israeli settler violence in the West Bank — a decision that has prevented Palestinian Christian clerics from joining a gathering of religious leaders and directly presenting the suffering and realities of Palestinian life before American public opinion.

According to the organizers of these events, the US State Department has refused to issue a visa to Father Issa Thaljieh, priest of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, citing security reasons. He was scheduled to attend a Christian gathering near the US Congress building on Monday and speak about Israel's attacks on Palestinian communities.

Leila Mokhibar, from the organization "Orthodox Christians for Palestine," reacting to this decision, said: "A priest from Bethlehem is being treated as a threat; this should concern all of us." She added that such a decision means depriving people who live in the midst of these events and want to tell of what is happening to them.

Preventing the Attendance of a Second Palestinian Priest in the US

Father Munther Isaac, head of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, also faced the rejection of his US visa application last week.

He was scheduled to participate in a Christian gathering in Atlanta and speak to American Evangelical Christian audiences about the dangers of Christian Zionism — a religious current that enjoys religious support to justify Israeli policies.

Isaac had previously explained that the purpose of this gathering was to provide an opportunity for Palestinian Christians to appear before American audiences and challenge religious views supportive of Israel.

Washington Gathering; Demanding an End to US Arms Shipments to Israel

The event planned in Washington was to host Christian leaders from various countries — individuals calling for an end to the transfer of US weapons to Israel.

One part of the program was the reading of the names of children killed in Gaza from a cloth known as the "Kaffan of Gaza's Children" — a cloth about 120 yards long containing the names of more than 20,000 children killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The organizers also intend to ask the US Congress to hold Israeli forces and settlers accountable for attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Heavy Casualty Figures in Gaza and the West Bank

According to statistics from Gaza's Ministry of Health, since the start of Israel's war against the region on October 7, 2023, at least 74,653 Palestinians have been martyred and another 176,007 wounded.

Also, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported that since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,216 Palestinians in the West Bank and wounded another 13,300.

These statistics show the widespread dimensions of human casualties and violence against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank — a crisis that, despite the ceasefire agreement, has continued to be accompanied by repeated reports of its violation and the continuation of Israeli attacks and restrictions.

Contradiction in Washington's Positions; Military Support for Israel and Silencing Palestinian Voices

The US refusal to issue visas to two Palestinian priests comes as the Washington government is considered one of Israel's main military and political supporters, and the transfer of US weapons to this regime is one of the main axes of protest by human rights activists and pro-Palestine groups.

Preventing the attendance of clerics who intended to speak about the direct experience of the Palestinian people with war, displacement, and settler violence has raised serious questions about freedom of speech and the possibility of victims' voices being heard in the US.

At a time when the people of Gaza continue to face the consequences of war, widespread destruction of infrastructure, and a humanitarian crisis, and reports indicate repeated ceasefire violations, preventing the attendance of Palestinian witnesses at American public gatherings further highlights the gap between Washington's rhetoric on human rights and its practical policy toward Palestine.