Consequences of the war in the Holy Land affects the young people of the region

Almost a year after the Hamas attack on Israeli territory, on October 7, 2023, a delegation from the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) dedicated itself to delving into the consequences of that event on the youth of the regionwhich from that day on plunged into a spiral of violence and death.

“The young Christians of the Holy Land feel lost and without hope of ever returning to normality,” ACN said. One of these young people, Raffi Ghattas, who works as a journalist, spoke about the dilemma they face when they cannot leave their home.

“In our culture we do not leave our parents’ home before getting married, so young people continue to live with their parents. I want to leave, but I can’t do it if I don’t get married. However, at 27 years old I cannot afford my own house, so I cannot afford to get married,” he said.

Dima Khoury, an official of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, indicated about this that “by not having hope, people try to leave, many do not have children or marry” and that “it is very difficult to give them hope. Those who have children only have one or two. Plus, it takes one spouse’s entire salary to cover the rent, so both have to work.”

Since the war began, jobs have been scarce, especially affecting young people, and tourism is almost non-existent. “When asked, all young Christians agree that “They just want to go back to living like they did before October 7.”noted ACN.

Suffering in the West Bank

Before October 7, around 180,000 Palestinians had permits to work in Israel. All were canceled and only 10,000 were renewed recently. A young priest, Father Louis, told the pontifical foundation about the challenges he faces in leading a youth group in the West Bank.

Group meetings must be held away from Jewish settlements. “Where there is a settlement there is a checkpoint and therefore a source of conflict between settlers and Palestinians, which, in turn, means that the road may be closed. “That entails difficulty and danger for young people,” he explained.

The members of the group, to which Ghattas belongs, consider it essential to promote the roots and connection of young people with their religion. “Our first priority in youth ministry is to teach young people to develop a feeling of belonging to their land, but not because they are Palestinians but because God chose this land when he decided to incarnate. That is a privilege but also a cross, and we carry that cross,” he said.

For his part, Father Louis indicated that if Christians abandon their land, “the holy places will be like cold and abandoned museums. We insist to young people not to emigrate because Jesus lived and died here.”