‘Beloved youth’ abducted at gunpoint by Israeli forces alongside three other women

The Director of Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice and Evangelical Lutheran Pastor, Munther Isaac, has posted a statement from Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad on the abduction of a young member of their church community in Birzeit, located in the occupied West Bank.

As the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land, Haddad has demanded the immediate release of Natalie Abudayyeh as he joins the Birzeit and Beit Jala communities in:

earnest prayer for Natalie’s safety and freedom.

Moreover, the Christian leader has made a plea to “friends, partners and siblings in Christ” to:

demand an end to this unjust and unequal system of detainment and detention that paralyzes and destroys Palestinian communities.

Statement from Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad on the Israeli Detainment of Natalie Abudayyeh

This morning a beloved youth from our church community, Natalie Abuddayeh, was taken at gunpoint by Israeli forces from her student apartment in Birzeit alongside three other women. We are… pic.twitter.com/5JO51KXfk0

— Munther Isaac منذر اسحق (@MuntherIsaac) June 2, 2026

West Bank — Unjust and unequal system must end, says Christian church leader

The published letter written by Bishop Haddad expresses deep shock and horror at the abduction at gunpoint of a young female member of their community. Natalie is a student of media and journalism at Birzeit University near Ramallah in the increasingly occupied West Bank and was taken at the same time as three other women from the local community.

Palestinian journalists have paid an incredibly high price for their continued commitment to covering the flagrant illegal abuses inflicted by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF). Bringing the brutal realities of this genocide to the wider international community — who are banned access by Israel — has not come without great sacrifice and loss. Since 7 October 2023, at least 235 journalists and media workers have been murdered in targeted attacks and bombardments.

Given Natalie’s enrolment as a student of journalism, this strikes concern of yet another attempt to stifle the freedom of press. In turn, this threatens the ability for journalists and media organisations around the world to get a clear, factual and evidenced picture of what is happening to Palestinians at the hands of their oppressive, apartheid-enforcing occupier Zionist Israel.

The bishop stated in his letter:

This morning a beloved youth from our church community, Natalie Abudayyeh, was taken at gunpoint by Israeli forces from her student apartment in Birzeit alongside three other women. We are deeply shocked and horrified by this news, as well as by the news that her family does not yet know where she has been taken.

Natalie is a member of Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Beit Jala, a graduate of Talitha Kumi Lutheran School, and a Media and Journalism student at Birzeit University.

As Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, I unequivocally call for Natalie’s immediate release. The entire ELCJHL stands in solidarity with the Abudayyeh family and the Beit Jala and Birzeit communities, and we join them in earnest prayer for Natalie’s safety and freedom.

He then expressed how disturbing he and the Christian community find the fact that she is joining thousands of Palestinians held without charge or trial, including women and children as young as 12. When trials are held in military courts, they see an almost 100% conviction rate. This surely goes to highlight how unjust the courts are in practice.

In fact, 37% of children illegally detained have seen no charges brought against them and have had all legal and family access denied by their oppressor and kidnapper Israel.

We are incredibly disturbed by the reality that Natalie now joins the thousands of Palestinians in Israeli detention without charge or trial. Palestinian civilians, including women and children, suffer deep injustice in Israeli military detention and are often held for months or years with no explanation.

We call on our friends, partners, and siblings in Christ around the world to advocate for Natalie’s freedom using whatever channels are available to them, and to demand an end to this unjust and unequal system of detainment and detention that paralyzes and destroys Palestinian communities.

Where is the West and its ‘Christian values’ now?

For centuries, the UK — and later the US after its colonialist ‘birth’ — claimed to uphold Christian values. Yet both countries repeatedly undermine those claims through sinister actions and policies that contradict the principles of compassion, justice, and human dignity at the very heart of Christianity.

Subsequently, the occupation and genocide in Palestine — coincidentally, the birthplace of Jesus Christ and home of St George — has exposed how vacuous these virtue signalling statements have always been.

The far right has long manipulated Christian teachings and symbolism for political gain, invoking Christ and religious identity to stir division, resentment, and hostility. However, when Christian leaders plead for an end to the decades of bloodshed and demand justice and accountability, Western leaders ignore those calls thus exposing the absence of the faith they so often claim to uphold.

Therefore, it is unlikely that this latest call from the Christian community — speaking directly from the Holy Land itself — will find anything but deaf ears in the UK government.

As a result, genuine Christians — and people of all faiths — must hold their leaders to account and challenge their continued support for actions that inflict painful suffering on civilians and deprive innocent people of their freedom.

Featured image via GlobalCampusofHumanRights