A billboard in New York City's Times Square declared that Jesus Christ was Palestinian ahead of Christmas, as pro-Palestinian groups continued their advocacy with Christmas messages this week.
The American Arab Discrimination Committee, which paid for two billboards in the iconic NYC plaza, said that the billboards were an act of cultural resilience.
"Jesus is Palestinian, Merry Christmas," declared the first billboard, with the second displaying the Quranic verse recounting the birth of Jesus.
The ADC explained on Instagram on Tuesday that it wanted to center unity, heritage, and Palestine above consumerism. The group hoped to highlight that Islam revered Jesus as a prophet to foster interfaith understanding.
Palestinian identity was ostensibly being erased, and the ADC hoped to "reclaim the truth, honoring the Palestinian refugee born in Bethlehem."
"As Gaza endures genocide, and the birthplace of Jesus is under siege and occupation, we reclaim a fundamental truth in the heart of Times Square," said ADC.
'Decolonizing Christmas'
Climate activist Greta Thunberg and social justice nonprofit Slow Factory also declared in a collaborative social media post on Wednesday that "Jesus was a Palestinian born under occupation."
"For the Christians of the world, the son of God you worship was born in Palestine Bethlehem, today under violent occupation," the Slow Factory said. "If that child was born today, chances would be he would be imprisoned in Israeli military jail. Praying for the children of Palestine isn’t enough, we must end the occupation."
The Global Sumud Flotilla also compared the Roman occupation of Judea to the situation between Israel and Palestinians. The group asserted that Palestinians sharing Jesus's profession as carpenter face economic strangulation, and Mary and the Magi wouldn't be able to complete their biblical journeys due to security restrictions. Palestinians were supposedly being killed because they represented political threats like Jesus.
"The crucifixion continues daily in Palestine," said the Sumud group. "If Jesus were alive today, he would defend the children of Palestine, defend his land, defy the establishment and resist occupation."
National Students for Justice in Palestine also issued statements on Wednesday devoted to "demythologizing historic Palestine" and "decolonizing Christmas."
SJP attacked Israel for controlling cities connected to Christianity, claiming that Nazareth was occupied though it lies within Israel proper, behind the 1948 armistice line.
"As a colonial political identity, Zionism, stands in direct contradiction with the principles that Jesus and Christianity preach, and yet Western Zionist Christians will support the continued existence of the Zionist entity under the guise of evangelical beliefs," said SJP. "Palestinians across the Holy Land, from Bethlehem to Nazareth to Gaza, all remain subjected to oppression under Zionist occupation."