In December 2025, a tale of two cities unfolded in the Holy Land-one illuminated by the festive lights of coexistence, the other choked by the smoke of intolerance. In Haifa, over 100,000 visitors, including Jews, Muslims, and Christians, flooded the streets for the "Holiday of Holidays" festival. There, under the protection of the Israeli police, a 27-meter Christmas tree lit up the night, celebrating a season where cultures and traditions are encouraged to thrive together.
Less than an hour’s drive away, in the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Jenin, a very different scene played out. Palestinian Arab extremists set fire to the Christmas tree in the courtyard of the Holy Redeemer Church, reducing the symbol of Christian joy to a charred skeleton.
The Ashes of "Resistance"
The arson at the Holy Redeemer Church was not merely an act of vandalism; it was a calculated assertion of dominance. In a city where the PA’s security forces-funded by millions in European and American aid-nominally hold sway, they failed to protect one of the few remaining symbols of the city’s dwindling Christian population.
The extremists sent a clear message to the Christian remnant: the public square belongs to political Islam, and your presence is tolerated only so long as you remain invisible.
Perhaps more tragic than the fire itself was the official response from the church leadership. Following the attack, church leaders met with PA officials and issued a statement that baffles the rational mind."We're certain that this incident only serves the occupation's agenda - to sow division among our people," the church declared.
This response is a textbook manifestation of what historians call "dhimmitude"-the survival strategy of a hostage. It is a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome, where the besieged minority adopts the worldview of their tormentors to avoid further violence.The priests in Jenin know that blaming the local Islamists who hold the matches would be a death sentence. Blaming Israel-the "occupation"-is the only safe option. It is a desperate lie told to survive the night, a signal of submission to the bullies ruling the street.
The Israeli Exception
Contrast this fear with the reality inside Israel. While Jenin burned, the city of Nazareth overcame initial security concerns to host its Christmas market, with the city's tree standing tall and protected by the state.In Haifa, the municipality actively funds and promotes the "Holiday of Holidays," viewing the Christian community not as a "fifth column" or a remnant of the Crusades, but as an integral part of the state’s mosaic.
The Betrayal of the Red-Green Alliance
Why does the West stay silent? The "Red-Green Alliance"-the strategic coalition between the radical Left and Islamists-cannot process Palestinian Arab oppression of Christians. Under the framework of intersectionality, Palestinian Arabs are cast solely as victims. If a Palestinian Arab burns a church, it disrupts the hierarchy of oppression. Therefore, the incident must be ignored or reframed as a consequence of Israeli policy.
They sacrifice the truth of Christian suffering on the altar of anti-Zionism, leaving the victims in Jenin without a voice in the halls of power in London, Paris, or New York.
Where is the Vatican?
Most damning of all is the silence of the Holy See. Pope Leo XIV (and Pope Francis before him) frequently issues calls to "silence the arms" and "tear down walls," rhetoric often interpreted as criticism of Israel's security barrier.Yet, when a church in Jenin is torched by Palestinian Arab extremists, there is no specific condemnation, no naming of the perpetrators.
This "Ostpolitik" of silence is a moral abdication. By refusing to confront the Islamist intolerance that necessitates security barriers, the Vatican validates the PA's propaganda. When the Church blames "the occupation" for Palestinian Arab arson, and the Vatican nods along with vague platitudes about peace, they abandon their flock to the wolves.
A Preview of "Democracy"
The burning of the Christmas tree in Jenin is a geopolitical signal that the West ignores at its peril. It exposes the hollowness of the Palestinian Arab state-building project. Despite billions in aid and decades of training, the PA cannot-or will not-protect a simple tree from the hatred cultivated in its own schools and mosques.
The PA wants a state? Look at the ashes of the Jenin Christmas tree for a preview of their "democracy." It is a polity where pluralism is extinguished by fire and where minorities are forced to blame their protectors for the crimes of their persecutors.