ICYMI: “Jesus Is Palestinian” ADC’s Christmas Billboard Series Sparks National Debate on Christianity and Free Speech

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, Dec. 26, 2025
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New York, NY | In case you missed it, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) concluded a high-profile Christmas billboard series in Times Square that sparked intense national and international debate — drawing praise, condemnation, and wall-to-wall media coverage across U.S. and international outlets alike. The billboards, which ran throughout the Christmas season, confronted the erasure of Palestine and Palestinian Christians amid Israel’s ongoing genocide. Outlets are allowed to use the billboard images provided crediting the ADC. 

The core message of the series was clear: Palestine cannot be erased from the Christmas story while Palestinians — Muslim and Christian alike — are being killed, displaced, and silenced in the land where Christianity was born.

The billboards unleashed a wave of reactions. Coverage appeared in outlets including Fox News, New York Post, Daily Mail, The Jerusalem Post, The New Arab, Newsmax, Roya News, and The Economic Times, among others.

In the New York Post’s “Inflammatory Times Square billboard proclaiming ‘Jesus is Palestinian’ slammed by holiday tourists,” Abed Ayoub, ADC’s National Executive Director, explained:

“There’s a lot more similarities between Arabs and Muslims and Christians in this country than others want to allow us to believe and there are similarities and there is a fear of culture, shared religion. Most of the Americans in this country are Christian and the birthplace of Christianity is Palestine. If people wanna go back and forth and debate it, then great, the billboard sparked debate. At least you’re having a conversation about it. Otherwise, we’re silenced and our voices and positions don’t come out.”

“Jesus lives within all of us. Christians and Christianity are under attack in the birthplace of Jesus—doesn’t matter what you want to call it. There is no disputing that.”

Rev. Munther Isaac, in a Christmas op-ed reminding readers that Christmas is not a Western story but a Palestinian one, underscores that Jesus was born in Bethlehem under military occupation, to a displaced family. Today, Bethlehem is hemmed in by walls and checkpoints, and its Christian population continues to shrink under Israeli policies of apartheid and extreme violence. As Rev. Isaac writes, the Christmas story is not one of serenity and consumerism, but of empire, violence, displacement — and divine solidarity with the oppressed.

That message has been echoed by the Vatican itself. On Christmas 2024, Pope Francis unveiled a nativity display depicting baby Jesus wrapped in a Palestinian keffiyeh. In his final days, he repeatedly spoke with Palestinian Christian clergy and drew attention to Gaza—making the Vatican’s symbolism and his pastoral outreach a clear statement of solidarity and a moral rebuke of Israel’s ongoing violence in the region. At the time of Pope Francis’s death, ADC published a billboard reinforcing the same point: even the highest moral authorities in the Christian world recognize Palestine as the birthplace of Jesus—and recognize that it is under attack.

That witness continued under his successor. In his first Christmas message in 2025, Pope Leo XIV denounced the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, calling attention to families forced to shelter in tents exposed to “rain, wind, and cold.” He spoke explicitly of Jesus identifying with those “who have nothing left and have lost everything, like the inhabitants of Gaza,” and urged justice, peace, and stability for the Palestinian territories and the wider region. 

“There will be disagreements and debates about names. However there is one thing that is indisputable – Israel has been killing Christians in the birthplace of Jesus with impunity for decades. Yesterday was the first time Christmas was celebrated in Bethlehem for the first time in 3 years. American tax payers have been paying for the persecution of Christians by Israel, and they are waking up to that fact,” said ADC’s National Executive Director, Abed Ayoub. 

 “Of note, the Foreign Ministry of Israel also purchased ad space on that same billboard to counter our messaging, so American taxpayers are paying for the killing of Christians, and for the propaganda campaign to cover the atrocities by Israel. The coverage by media outlets about the killing of Christians by Israel has been nonexistent. However, put a billboard up in Times Square and the coverage is there. Sadly, this billboard is the only way media outlets will discuss Christians in the Holy Land.”

As Christmas celebrations fade and the suffering in Gaza and Palestine continues, ADC reiterates its message: remember that Christianity was born in Palestine, that Palestinian Christians still exist, and that faith divorced from justice is empty.

Merry Christmas — and may the conversation continue.

Notable Coverage: 

Fox News | Times Square billboards spark religious controversy

New York Post | Inflammatory Times Square billboard proclaiming ‘Jesus is Palestinian’ slammed by holiday tourists: ‘A divisive message’

Abed Ayoub/ X | Christians and Christianity are under attack in the birthplace of Jesus – doesn’t matter what you want to call it. There is no disputing that. 

This billboard upset more people than the actual attack on Christians by Israel. You may disagree with it, but it finally got you talking about Christians and Palestine. 

The Israel First crowd really got triggered today because they don’t want you to know Christians reside in Palestine, including in Gaza. 

They want to push back against us so much that the Israeli Foreign Minister purchased ad space on the same billboard to counter us. 

At least we didn’t use American taxpayers’ dollars for our ads.

Abed Ayoub/ X |Funny that the @nypost would write an article about a billboard that hasn’t been up in a couple weeks. The “Jesus is Palestinian” billboard was up weeks ago. 

This is the billboard that is up now. Know why they won’t write about this billboard? Because they can’t dispute it. 

Another example media twisting the facts for clicks! 

Merry Christmas!!!!

Daily Mail | New Yorkers enraged over Times Square Christmas billboard that proclaims ‘Jesus is Palestinian’

The New Arab | ‘Jesus is Palestinian’ in New York’s Times Square stirs debate, draws ire of pro-Israelis

The Jerusalem Post | Sponsored Times Square billboard claims ‘Jesus is Palestinian,’ wishes a ‘Merry Christmas’

The Economic Times | Jesus is Palestinian? Here’s complete truth, who placed controversial Times Square billboard message during Christmas and is it still up

Newsmax | Times Square Billboard Declares ‘Jesus Is Palestinian’

Roya News | “Jesus is Palestinian”: ADC reveals bold billboards in New York’s Times Square