Beit Jala, Bethlehem - Save Al-Makhrour, a Palestinian Christian organization based in Beit Jala, Bethlehem, has launched a National Charter for the Protection of Land and the Strengthening of the Christian Presence in the Holy Land, calling for greater protection of Palestinian Christian land, property, heritage and continued presence in Palestine.
The organization is also advancing the Christian National Fund (CNF) – Land • People • Heritage • Future, a proposed non-partisan institution intended to strengthen the economic and institutional capacity of Palestinian Christians to protect land, support families and farmers, preserve heritage, create employment and housing opportunities, and strengthen Christian communities.
Save Al-Makhrour is calling on Palestinian Christians in Palestine and the diaspora, churches, community leaders, civil-society organizations, parliamentarians, Members of Congress, Members of the House of Lords, international organizations and supporters worldwide to endorse the Charter and help bring the issue to international attention.
“This is beyond politics,” the organization says. “It is about whether Palestinian Christians will be able to retain their land, identity, heritage and presence in their homeland for future generations.”
The initiative was created in response to what the organization describes as an interconnected pattern of land dispossession, disputed transactions, alleged document manipulation, institutional failures and corruption concerns affecting Palestinian Christian property.
The organization says the issue goes beyond the Israeli-Palestinian political conflict. Its position is that Palestinian Christian land must be protected not only from Israeli settlers and companies involved in land acquisition, but also from individuals, intermediaries and actors inside Palestinian society or church institutions who may contribute to the transfer or loss of Christian property.
“Protecting Christian presence means protecting Christian land,” the organization says. Save Al-Makhrour emphasizes that it is calling for independent investigation, transparency and accountability, rather than asking international institutions to accept allegations without verification.
Al-Makhrour: A Case at the Center of the Campaign
The organization's campaign emerged from the long-running struggle over Al-Makhrour in Beit Jala, Bethlehem, where Palestinian Christian families have historically owned and cultivated land.
The Kisiya family has spent years defending its ancestral property. According to the organization, the family's land was subjected to demolition and a settler outpost was established there in 2019. After years of legal proceedings, the family achieved a legal victory, and the outpost was dismantled in 2025.
However, Save Al-Makhrour says the ruling did not end the dispute and that attempts to interfere with the family's possession of and access to its land continued. The case demonstrates why legal victories must be accompanied by effective and lasting protection of Palestinian property rights.
Save Al-Makhrour also highlights Taybeh, one of the last entirely Christian Palestinian villages in the West Bank. The organization says Palestinian Christian communities face a combination of land pressure, economic difficulties, settlement expansion, restrictions on access to agricultural areas and attacks that can contribute to the gradual weakening and departure of Christian families.
For Save Al-Makhrour, the issue is ultimately about community survival. “When Christian land is lost, the Christian community itself is eventually at risk of disappearing.”
Himanuta and KKL-JNF
A central part of the Charter's concerns involves Himanuta, a company associated with the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF). Save Al-Makhrour has raised concerns regarding the company's involvement in Palestinian land acquisition and registration and what it describes as questions surrounding corporate structures, registration records and land transactions.
The organization alleges that in some cases different registration numbers or corporate structures have been used under the Himanuta name, and argues that these arrangements should be independently examined to establish ownership, responsibility and the chain of title in disputed land transactions, particularly in areas occupied since 1967.
Save Al-Makhrour also refers to reporting by organizations including Peace Now concerning a KKL-JNF decision to allocate approximately NIS 100 million over five years to a land-registration project involving its subsidiary Himanuta and properties in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The organization argues that a project of this scale requires public transparency and independent scrutiny because land registration can have significant consequences for Palestinian property rights.
Save Al-Makhrour further raises questions about what it describes as financial and internal arrangements between KKL-JNF and Himanuta, and calls for examination of corporate and financial records to determine whether such arrangements could facilitate the acquisition or transfer of Palestinian land.
The organization also raises allegations concerning forged or manipulated land documents and says that relevant documents should be independently authenticated.
The organization also points to Himanuta's historical corporate background. According to information cited by Save Al-Makhrour, Himanuta was established during the period of the British Mandate for Palestine, and the organization has raised questions concerning historical British corporate registration records and the relevance of those records to the company's subsequent land activities.
Save Al-Makhrour argues that these historical records should be examined alongside land-registration documents from later periods in order to establish the complete chain of ownership and transactions.
Jordanian Law No. 40 of 1953 and the Historical Land Archive
Another major component of the Charter concerns Jordanian Law No. 40 of 1953 and land records dating from the Jordanian administration of the West Bank. Save Al-Makhrour says historical land records can be essential to establishing ownership, boundaries, registration history and chains of title.
The organization is calling for the preservation, authentication and independent examination of these records, including comparison with subsequent Israeli registration documents and later land transactions.
Save Al-Makhrour also stresses the importance of preserving historical archives because the loss or alteration of land records can make it extremely difficult for Palestinian families to prove their historical ownership.
Christian Land and Church Property
The Charter also highlights the importance of transparency and accountability in transactions involving Christian and church-owned properties. The initiative calls for greater protection of Christian property and for appropriate review of disputed land transactions, particularly where questions may arise regarding ownership, documentation, registration or the transfer of property.
The aim is not to target or accuse any particular church, institution or individual, but to promote transparency, accountability and the protection of Christian land and heritage.
The Charter also raises the issue of Christianophobia, which Save Al-Makhrour describes as including discrimination, intimidation, hostility and other pressures that affect the security, dignity, property rights and continued presence of Palestinian Christians.
The organization argues that protecting Christian presence means protecting more than religious institutions. It means protecting the land, homes, families, farms, livelihoods, churches, cemeteries, heritage and communities.
Save Al-Makhrour is also seeking international attention to the historical status of Palestinian Christians. The organization argues that Palestinian Christians are a historically rooted Christian community of Palestine, with family, cultural, religious and territorial connections extending across generations.
It intends to approach relevant international institutions and United Nations mechanisms dealing with Indigenous Peoples, minority rights, freedom of religion, human rights and cultural heritage. According to Save Al-Makhrour, the objective is to explore appropriate mechanisms for international protection and recognition of Palestinian Christians as an Indigenous Christian community of Palestine, subject to the relevant international legal frameworks and procedures.
The Christian National Fund
The Christian National Fund (CNF) is intended to complement the Charter by creating long-term economic and institutional capacity. The CNF would focus on land protection, support for Christian farmers, economic development, housing and support for young families, employment creation, heritage preservation, agricultural and environmental projects, responsible Christian investment, etc.
The organization says that legal defense alone is insufficient. “We cannot wait until land is sold or confiscated before trying to save it. We must build the capacity to protect it before it is lost.”
Save Al-Makhrour is preparing to send its Charter and supporting material to international institutions and political representatives, including relevant United Nations bodies, U.S. Members of Congress and Members of the UK House of Lords. The organization is also ready to provide supporting material to journalists, parliamentarians, international organizations and relevant authorities.
You can check the organization here: https://savealmak.org
You can fill out the form for the National charter here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqzNhvME3zaaQhR8K6Ya31SEwP8lRiZSTSMI3wNPNaOLL9kQ/viewform
