Vulnerable People Project Calls on International Community to Defend Christian Property Rights and Protect Indigenous Christians
NEWS PROVIDED BY
The Vulnerable People Project
June 19, 2026
WASHINGTON, June 19, 2026 /Standard Newswire/ — The Vulnerable People Project (VPP) joins the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in condemning the June 15 raid by Israeli authorities on Church-owned land in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.
According to the Patriarchate, Israeli forces entered the property, forcibly removed the Church’s representative, confiscated equipment, uprooted trees, and erected fencing around land that is legally registered in the name of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Patriarchate has initiated legal proceedings to reclaim the property and defend its rights.
“The Christian presence in the Holy Land is not an abstract idea—it is embodied in real families, real communities, and real churches that have maintained an unbroken witness to Christ for nearly two thousand years,” said Jason Jones, President of the Vulnerable People Project. “When Church property is seized and Christian institutions are pressured or displaced, the future of Christianity in the land of Christ’s birth is placed at risk.”
In its statement, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate warned that the events in Silwan represent more than an isolated property dispute. The Patriarchate expressed concern that the seizure forms part of a broader pattern of actions targeting Christian institutions, holy sites, and communities throughout Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
For years, Christian leaders across denominations have raised alarms about increasing pressure on indigenous Christian communities, including land disputes, attacks on clergy, vandalism of holy sites, restrictions on access, and policies that contribute to the erosion of the historic Christian presence in the region.
The Vulnerable People Project shares the Patriarchate’s concern that these developments threaten the survival of one of the world’s oldest Christian communities. The Christian population of the Holy Land has steadily declined over the past century, with many families facing economic hardship, insecurity, and growing pressure to emigrate.
Through its Save West Bank Christians Campaign, VPP works to raise awareness of the challenges facing Palestinian Christian communities and to advocate for policies that protect their rights, property, religious freedom, and ability to remain in their ancestral homeland.
“The international community cannot remain silent while the rights of Christian communities are undermined,” said Jason Jones. “The preservation of the Christian presence in the Holy Land should be a priority for all people of goodwill.”
VPP calls on governments, churches, human rights organizations, and religious leaders worldwide to closely monitor developments in Silwan, support the legal rights of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, and work to ensure that Christian communities are protected from further encroachment and displacement.
For more information about the Vulnerable People Project and its mission to Save West Bank Christians, please visit SaveWestBankChristians.com.
PRESS CONTACT: Alexis Walkenstein, AWE PR, founder and president via walkensteina@gmail.com or (561) 445-5409
ABOUT JASON JONES AND THE VULNERABLE PEOPLE PROJECT:
Jason Jones is a film producer, author, human rights activist, and founder of the Vulnerable People Project (VPP). VPP serves vulnerable and persecuted communities around the world, advocating for those threatened by war, religious persecution, genocide, and political oppression. Through direct assistance, public advocacy, and strategic awareness campaigns, VPP works to defend human dignity and support vulnerable people regardless of faith, ethnicity, or nationality.
VPP is currently leading the Save West Bank Christians Campaign, an initiative dedicated to documenting threats to Christian communities, supporting local churches and families, and raising international awareness of the challenges facing Christians in the Holy Land.
SOURCE Vulnerable People Project
CONTACT: Alexis Walkenstein, 561-445-5409, walkensteina@gmail.com