Pro-Palestinian groups have sparked controversy in New York by using Christmas messaging to promote political claims about Jesus, including a Times Square billboard declaring that “Jesus is Palestinian.” Jewish organisations and antisemitism monitors have warned that such campaigns distort history, politicise religious symbols, and contribute to the erasure of Jewish identity and heritage, reports The Jerusalem Post.
The billboard, sponsored by the American Arab Discrimination Committee (ADC), appeared in Times Square ahead of Christmas. One display read “Jesus is Palestinian, Merry Christmas,” while a second featured a Quranic verse describing the birth of Jesus. The ADC said the campaign aimed to emphasise cultural resilience, interfaith understanding, and Palestinian identity, arguing that Jesus should be viewed as a Palestinian refugee born in Bethlehem.
In accompanying social media posts, the ADC claimed that Palestinian identity was being erased and said it was “reclaiming the truth” by presenting Jesus as Palestinian. The group linked its message to the war in Gaza and described Bethlehem as being “under siege and occupation,” framing the billboard as an act of political advocacy rather than religious celebration.
Similar claims were amplified online by climate activist Greta Thunberg and the social justice organisation Slow Factory, which stated that “Jesus was a Palestinian born under occupation.” Slow Factory asserted that if Jesus were born today, he would likely be imprisoned by Israel and argued that prayer alone was insufficient without political action against Israel.
Other activist groups echoed the message. The Global Sumud Flotilla compared Roman rule in Judea with the modern Israeli-Palestinian conflict, claiming that Jesus would today resist Israel and defend Palestinian children. The group stated that “the crucifixion continues daily in Palestine,” presenting contemporary political violence through a Christian theological lens.
National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) also used Christmas to advance political messaging, calling for the “decolonisation” of the holiday and accusing Israel of occupying Christian cities. The group described Nazareth as occupied territory, despite its location within Israel’s internationally recognised borders since 1948. SJP further claimed that Zionism fundamentally contradicts Christian values and accused “Western Zionist Christians” of supporting oppression.
Critics argue that portraying Jesus as Palestinian projects a modern national identity onto an ancient Jewish figure, erasing his Jewish identity and the historical Jewish connection to the land. Jewish organisations have warned that such narratives go beyond political criticism of Israel and instead promote historical revisionism that feeds antisemitic tropes, particularly by reframing Jewish history and theology to exclude Jews themselves.
photo credit: SOCIAL MEDIA
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