The Zionist Actions Against Christian Villages in Historic Palestine

The query refers to historical events during and after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War (known as the Nakba to Palestinians), where Israeli forces—stemming from Zionist paramilitary groups like the Haganah, Irgun, and later the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)—depopulated and destroyed several predominantly Christian villages.

These actions displaced thousands of Palestinian Christians, often under the pretext of military necessity, but resulted in land expropriation for Jewish settlements.

While not always involving direct “bombing” in the modern sense, many incidents included shelling, aerial bombardment, and demolitions that killed civilians and erased communities.

These events are documented in historical records, though they receive less attention compared to broader narratives of the conflict.

Below is a factual overview based on reliable sources, focusing on key examples.

Key Historical Incidents

1. Iqrit (Iqreth) Village Depopulation and Destruction (1948–1951):

• Iqrit, a Maronite Christian village near the Lebanese border with about 500 residents (mostly Christian, some Muslim), was occupied by the Haganah (a Zionist militia that became the IDF) on October 31, 1948, during Operation Hiram.

• Residents were ordered to evacuate “temporarily” for security reasons, with promises of return after two weeks.

No fighting occurred in the village itself, and villagers cooperated peacefully.

• Despite Israeli Supreme Court rulings in 1951 allowing return, the IDF prevented it.

On Christmas Eve 1951, the army demolished the village using explosives and artillery, leaving only the church standing.

This killed no one directly (as villagers were already displaced), but it destroyed homes and livelihoods.

• The land was later declared a “closed military area” and repurposed for Jewish settlements like Kibbutz Eilon and Moshav Shomera.

Displaced residents became internal refugees in Israel, fighting legally for decades without success.  

2. Kafr Bir’im (Kfar Birim) Village Depopulation and Destruction (1948–1953):

• This Maronite Christian village, with around 950 residents, was similarly occupied without resistance in late October 1948 during Operation Hiram.

• Villagers were evacuated with assurances of return, but the IDF blocked it.

In September 1953, Israeli aircraft bombed the village, flattening most structures except the church, to prevent repopulation.

• No direct deaths from the bombing (villagers were displaced), but it erased the community.

The land was expropriated under Israel’s Absentee Property Law and used for Kibbutz Bar’am and Moshav Dovev—Jewish settlements built on the ruins.

• Like Iqrit, residents petitioned courts unsuccessfully; the destruction was justified as a “security measure,” but critics argue it was to facilitate demographic changes for a Jewish-majority state.  
 
3. Semiramis Hotel Bombing (1948):

• On January 5, 1948, the Haganah bombed the Semiramis Hotel in Jerusalem’s Katamon neighborhood, a Christian-owned building used as a residence.

• The attack killed at least 25 Palestinian Christians, including women and children, and the Spanish vice-consul.

It was part of Zionist efforts to control mixed areas in Jerusalem.

• This incident contributed to the flight of Christian Palestinians from the city, with land later incorporated into Israeli West Jerusalem. 

4. Other Related Events in the 1948 War:

• Villages like Biram and Iqrit were part of a broader pattern where over 500 Palestinian villages (including Christian ones) were depopulated.

While not all involved bombing, military operations often included shelling and massacres.

• For instance, the Deir Yassin massacre (April 1948) by Irgun and Lehi killed over 100 civilians in a mostly Muslim village, but it terrorized nearby Christian communities, accelerating exodus.

• Tantura (May 1948) saw alleged killings by the Alexandroni Brigade, though not exclusively Christian.   
Recent Contexts and Ongoing Issues

• In the West Bank, Jewish settlers have attacked Christian sites and communities, including vandalism, arson on churches, and land seizures for settlements.

For example, in Bethlehem and surrounding areas, settler violence has displaced Christians.

• In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes have damaged or destroyed churches, like the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius (bombed in October 2023, killing 18 Christians sheltering there).

Palestinian Christian leaders accuse Israel of eroding Christian presence.

• In Lebanon (recent escalations), Israeli strikes have hit Christian-majority villages in the south, like Dardaghia, amid conflicts with Hezbollah.  

These events are often under-discussed in mainstream Western narratives, overshadowed by broader Israeli-Palestinian dynamics.

Historians like Benny Morris and Ilan Pappé document them as part of ethnic cleansing efforts to secure land for Jewish settlement.

Palestinian Christians, now a tiny minority (about 1-2% in Israel/Palestine), continue advocating for recognition and return rights.