The rights of Indigenous Americans are tied to the rights of Indigenous Palestinians

On the week of Indigenous People’s Day, let us remember all indigenous people whose land was stolen by more powerful forces.

Formerly called Columbus Day, Indigenous People’s Day commemorates the history and culture of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. It is a reminder to its European observers that they are not the original dwellers of this land and, that their occupation of this land, sometimes called Turtle Island, is marked with violence and genocide.

At the time of the British Empire and the U.S.’s settler-colonization of this particular land, Christianity played a strong role in justifying it theologically. At the heart of Western Expansion is the Doctrine of Discovery, which gave European powers theological justification for conquest outside of Europe. The argument was that any non-Christian land was blessed to be conquered by Christian colonizers. From Pope Alexander VI’s Papal Bull “Inter Caetera:”

“We exhort you very earnestly in the Lord and by your reception of holy baptism, whereby you are bound to our apostolic commands, and by the bowels of the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, enjoy strictly, that inasmuch as with eager zeal for the true faith you design to equip and despatch this expedition, you purpose also, as is your duty, to lead the peoples dwelling in those islands and countries to embrace the Christian religion; nor at any time let dangers or hardships deter you therefrom, with the stout hope and trust in your hearts that Almighty God will further your undertakings.”

Spain, Portugal, England, and France all used this pronouncement for their conquest. Thomas Jefferson said it was international law that applied to the United States as well. It is not surprising they exploited the Bible this way because, even then, the evil of what they were doing was so apparent it needed to be couched with theological justification. This theological backing gave license to settlers to colonize the Americans and convert the people there or even wipe them out in resistance. This is the spread of Christianity through force. It is antithetical to the Gospel, yet is justified by spreading said Gospel.

It is then vital for Christians to actively decry this act and this justification. We must acknowledge the harm done in our name and the name of Jesus and seek to repair the relationships and communities that we have deeply broken. So this week, we remember that horrifying history and lament and repent. I am grateful for organizations like the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery for their work in bringing awareness and justice to this issue. The coalition believes “it is the primary responsibility of those of us who are white settler-descended folks to dismantle the legal, policy, and church structures created and reinforced by the dominant culture, as well as the attitudes and norms of oppression that dehumanize Indigenous Peoples.” They accomplish this task by submitting to Indigenous people and dismantling structures that perpetuate this injustice today.

As my partners at the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery agree, their principles don’t just apply to genocide and conquest from centuries ago, but continue to apply to all forms of settler-colonialism today. We cannot name the problems with the conquest of the Americas without also addressing modern examples of it. Most pointedly, we can see this in the establishment and expanse of the state of Israel on Palestinian territory.

As early as the 1840s, the phrase, “A land without a people for a people without a land,” was used by Christian Restorationists referring to a Jewish homeland in Palestine. It is a matter of contention whether this phrase was adopted by Jews, but without a doubt, it was propagated by Christians.

The Balfour Declaration of 1917, a public statement by the British Government, announced its support for a ”national home for Jewish people in Palestine.” This declaration, vague as it was, represented Christian support for Zionism. This declaration was not only purposed to expand Western power in the Middle East, it was antisemitic in that it answered the “Jewish question” that haunted Britain and Europe, in general. It was a plan to simultaneously get rid of Jewish people in Europe, while also colonizing Palestine.

These factors showcase the Christian element in the spread of Zionism, and it mirrors the Doctrine of Discovery in its disregard for native peoples who originally inhabited a land. To be sure, both the people who would become Jews and the people we call Palestinians today lived in what we now know as Palestine—in a sense, they are both “indigenous.” But when the element of power and interest is added, the conquest of land becomes much less about the safety of Jewish people and far more about the expanse of Western and Christian power and influence.

The need for safety for Jewish people is a separate matter from the conquest and settler-colonialism of Palestine. It is essentially that Jewish people find safety wherever they elect to reside. A pluralistic society requires us all to stand in solidarity for the protection of all peoples. The conquest of land to provide safety is at best misguided and at worst hypocritical.

Christian Zionists, popularly dispensationalist Christians who believe Jews returning to Israel will exacerbate the return of Christ, are not the only ones guilty here. Even well-meaning liberal Zionists support this pillaging of Palestine. There is no contradiction between advocating for a free and dignified Palestine while also calling for the safety and acceptance of Jews (in fact, this peaceable coexistence occurred in Palestine prior to the 1948 establishment of Israel). The idea that these two are opposed to one another is a tool that the powers use to protect themselves and their interests. The result of this manufactured incompatibility, the idea that Palestinians cannot coexist with Jews in peace with mutual dignity, leads to the expanse of settlements in Palestinian territory, as well as the explicit genocide we see today, just like the Doctrine of Discovery did. The recent atrocities in Northern Gaza are the latest example. This is happening right now, and we can stop it by uniting for a ceasefire and arms embargo.

For those of us who are moved to stand in solidarity with the indigenous peoples of the Americas this week, we must also stand in solidarity with Palestinians who are being treated with the same ferocious violence in the name of Christian and Western power. Our mutual liberation is tied up in one another. Apartheid is not a solution for safety, genocide doesn’t protect us, and conquest renders coexistence impossible. The response we must have is not the displacement of settlers, but reparations and dignity for those who have been killed and displaced. As we observe Indigenous People’s Day in the United States, let us then include Palestinians in our commemoration, who are also victims of Western expansion and interests.