Theodosius Atallah Hanna, Palestinian Archbishop of Sebastia from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Palestine is real. Its people are real—whether some choose to recognize that or not.
The inciteful and hostile remarks made by Israel’s Minister of National Security are profoundly dangerous and must be categorically rejected.
One day he declares that the Palestinian president should be arrested and that a prison cell is already prepared.
Another day, he claims that Palestine does not exist, and that there is no such thing as the Palestinian people.
Some have dismissed his statements as the rantings of a madman. But I say: he is not mad, nor mentally impaired. He speaks with full awareness and conviction. What he says reflects what he genuinely believes—calculated, deliberate, and rooted in a supremacist ideology.
These declarations reveal the exclusionary, racist mindset that governs the Israeli occupation.
The same authorities who once told us they sought peace with Palestinians—who spoke of “two states for two peoples”—now openly deny our very existence.
Those who continue to deliver speeches about peace have a moral and political duty to reject and condemn this kind of rhetoric.
These statements are not just offensive—they are a blatant threat to the Palestinian people and their just cause.
The dangerous escalation of Israeli violations in the occupied West Bank—invasions, demolitions, mass displacement—signals a looming explosion.
Arab nations and friends around the world must take a clear stand against these colonial measures and reject the logic of occupation.
To this Israeli minister, I say: “Palestine exists. The Palestinian people exist. You do not have the authority to erase a people who seek justice, nor to wipe Palestine off the map. It is there—whether you accept it or not.”
You may deny our existence, but that is your own distorted and false belief. Your racist ideology cannot and must not be imposed on others. It is the duty of all free people around the world to reject this exclusionary, supremacist mindset.
Palestine exists. The Palestinian people exist—whether some acknowledge them or not. And without full freedom for our people, without the realization of their hopes and aspirations, there can be no real peace.
Peace cannot be built on the denial of our existence or the erasure of our cause. It must begin with recognition of the injustices we have endured, and a commitment to ending the occupation and fulfilling the aspirations of our people.
Peace cannot be built on the ruins of our homes, the denial of our rights, or the liquidation of our identity.
It must be built on justice—so that Palestinians may live freely in their homeland, in dignity, safety, and peace, like all other peoples of the world.
