Munayer, John. S and Samuel S. Munayer, eds. The Cross and the Olive Tree: Cultivating Palestinian Theology Amid Gaza. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2025.

Summary

The Cross and the Olive Tree is an anthology of essays written by young Palestinian Christian theologians after the Gaza war began in October 2023. The book is edited by two brothers, John and Samuel Munayer, who introduce it by explaining the appropriateness of the image of olive trees for Palestinian theology. Olive trees have spiritual significance as they bear the “pain and beauty” of the Palestinian land; hence their relevance for such a book that speaks about both the pain of oppression and the beauty of holding onto hope grounded in theological truths.

The personal story of one of the authors, Asmara Hammouri-Davis, may be representative of what some of the contributors have faced. Hammouri-Davis was on the verge of abandoning her Christian faith due to the injustice and stereotyping against her race and gender that she faced in her Palestinian context. Fortunately, she met a group of Palestinian theologians and was inspired to hold onto faith. This story illustrates one core reason for writing this collection: to inspire hope in those who are on the verge of giving up amidst the realities of the atrocities of war and pain in Palestine, which cannot and should not be overlooked by the global Church. In fact, the Church must support Palestinian Christians as they grapple to develop a theology that is both contextual and authentic. This is what the seven essays seek to do in this anthology. The word “hope” permeates all the essays and forms a crucial element of the Palestinian theology that endures to the end.

After the editors’ introductory remarks, the first chapter is a cross-disciplinary essay steeped in a historical-narrative framework. Yousef Kamal Al-Khouri reminds readers about the prominence of Christianity in the history of Gaza. This history may come as a surprise to those who may not be conversant with it. Yet it serves the purpose of reconstruction of a neglected Christian presence that has invaluable insights – especially from the real-life experiences narrated by teitas (grandmothers). Al-Khouri celebrates the experiences of the teitas, envisioned as “faith anchors,” who inspire the younger generation to faithfulness in word and deed. Such narratives also reinforce the need to foreground “neglected” contributions in the quest for a Palestinian theology. Similarly, then, Marah Sarji’s essay offers a comparative analysis of Guatemala and Gaza by exploring the contributions of women who enact divine care amid suffering and violence. These women perform acts of care, which brings the presence of God to others during atrocities and shares hope.

The idea of the presence of God or imagining God “under the rubble” (39) is reinforced by Lamma Mansour’s essay on “Kingdom imagination.” This ingenious article brings to the fore the need to imagine the future while undergoing deep atrocities in the present. Imagination, according to Mansour, is not an act of escapism, as some may perceive. When violence creates hopelessness and depression, Kingdom imagination calls for envisioning the not-yet in the biblical promise of ultimate restoration and reclamation. Mansour’s cites Maya Angelou’s poem “The Caged Bird” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s calls for “creative maladjustment” that refuses to normalize evil and destruction, while calling for appropriate actions.

Daniel Munayer picks up this call for action by showing the need for reconciliation as co-resistance. Surprisingly, he advocates for the oppressed working together with the oppressor for liberation. He draws from his own experience in an Israeli-Jewish school and critiques the reconciliation models that normalize colonial occupancy. He gives biblical examples of co-resistance while suggesting implementation of a Palestinian peace-making model (sulha). Munayer’s counterintuitive argument is followed by an essay by Shadia Qutbi that suggests a similarly creative, unexpected resonance. Qutbi compares Palestinian and Indigenous North American theologies and understanding of land, while leveraging the presence of the sumac tree as a metaphor in and for both contexts. Although these contexts are located thousands of miles from each other, they have the commonality of experiencing settler colonialism and genocide. Qutbi, however, does not dwell on such similarities. Instead, she uses a contrapuntal reading of two texts by Mitri Raheb and Daniel Zacharias, who hail from the two contexts respectively, to reimagine a new framework of formulating relevant theologies of land that are inclusive.

The anthology closes with a chapter on martyrdom written by the brother-editors. They point out that their sombre topic must never be absent from Palestinian theologizing. They remind readers that the Greek word “martyr” means “witness” – as in, those who help to spread the gospel. Yet martyrdom as bearing witness transcends religious boundaries, so the authors discuss solidarity between Palestinian Muslims and Palestinian Christians in the martyrdom of suffering under oppression. This solidarity transcends a mere call for survival or heroism; rather, for Palestinian Christians, it is about bearing witness to Christ, who stands for justice for all humanity.  

Critical Assessment: Argument and Contribution to Theology

This anthology presents four strands that make it unique: experiential knowledge; ecumenicism; gender and age inclusivity, and interfaith sensitivity. These four themes form the book’s contribution.

Experiential Knowledge

These essays are not written from an ivory tower. All the writers are Palestinians who have been touched by the Gaza war in one way or another. The information they present in their respective essays stem from their lived experiences, not abstract knowledge gained from secondary data.

Experiential knowledge as information gleaned via direct involvement in a situation provides more situationally appropriate and pragmatic recommendations. Thus, the writers were carefully selected as people who understand the war because they are directly involved as Palestinians. No wonder they have the confidence to critique past models on topics like reconciliation! No wonder they seek to offer more actionable suggestions. Daniel Munayer, for instance, justifies his call for an alternative approach to reconciliation by asserting that current reconciliation modes are often “colonial, normalizing, and oppressive in the Palestinian-Israeli context” (83). He demonstrates people’s scepticism toward Western-funded reconciliation endeavours: Most such reconciliation efforts are led by Israelis, to the disadvantage of Palestinians. Hence, Munayer recommends that, for reconciliation to be effective, it should be led by the oppressed people, in this case the Palestinians. His recommendation stems from his ongoing work as the director of an organization called Musalaha, which promotes reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

Such active involvement gives each writer the authenticity to address their subjects and hence an authority that cannot be dismissed. They even have the audacity to critique “older” non-Palestinian theologians who have tended to weaponize biblical texts to justify land occupation by settlers. Because these theologians are not Palestinians, they do not have the experiences that these young writers have and upon which these young writers base their appeals for a theological rethinking.

Another aspect of this theme are the various indigenous hermeneutics offered by some of the authors – indigenous hermeneutics grounded in lived knowledge of various contextual models of peace-making. Writers are familiar with indigenous models – like sulha, a communal peace-making initiative that addresses truth and reparation–and hence can critique conventional models based on foreign ideologies. More concretely, authors use physical elements of Palestinian life – olive trees, sumac – to make their arguments in ways that honour everyday experience.

Ecumenicism

The ecumenical nature of this collection of essays is evidenced by one of the reviews that has been written already. The America Jesuit Review published a review by David Neuhaus, S. J on January 12, 2026, entitled, “Building a Palestinian Theology amid the Ruin” (2026). Neuhaus is a Jesuit priest from South Africa but has lived in Israel and teaches scriptures in Palestine. He acknowledges the book’s significant contribution towards formulating and propagating Palestinian theology.

Furthermore, authors mention ecumenical spaces, such as the Sabeel Ecumenical Theological Centre, where writer Hammouri-Davis received help Palestinian Christians (49). Thus, the book demonstrates that Palestinian theology is not confined to evangelical Palestinian Christians. It has to involve Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, and Anglican Christians. Such an ecumenical outlook challenges other global contexts to follow suit. In the same way that enjoying olives unites Palestinian communities, the writers craft a theology that transcends denominational boundaries in a bid for hope and resilience.

Gender and Age Inclusivity

Out of the seven articles, four are by women. In addition, articles emphasize women’s contributions to survival during the war and to faithfulness, particularly the contributions of the teitas. This is a significant strength. Some authors explicitly call out the absence of women from Palestinian theology: Sarji mentions that “no major work in Palestinian theology thus far has taken up women’s lives and concerns as primary resources for ethical and theological reflection” (25). Thus, this book tries to fill this gap by highlighting both young and old women, scholars and not-scholars, all of whom have made contributions to the formation of an authentic Palestinian theology.

The element of inclusivity is also evident in the book’s intergenerational emphasis. Although the main writers are all young theologians, they respect history, discuss tradition at length, and do not ignore the support they have received from older Palestinian theologians. While the atrocities (such as the Nakba of 1948 for the older generation and the ongoing war in Gaza now) that each generation experiences is unique to its time, these younger authors rely on intergenerational conversations to produce insights that propel Palestinian theology forward.

Interfaith Sensitivity

The collection’s interfaith sensitivity is a final thread that makes it valuable across global contexts. The authors express respect for Palestinian Muslims in particular. The concluding essay illustrates this theme clearly as the authors call for solidarity in discussing Palestinian liberation theology. Muslims and Christians both undergo martyrdom in Gaza; members of both faiths experience “oppression, displacement, and resistance under occupation,” a fact that provides a “strong foundation for solidarity and unity . . . [M]artyrdom transcends theological boundaries, becoming a collective expression of resistance and a witness to injustice” (140).

Conclusion

This anthology makes a significant contribution to the formation of Palestinian theology. The essays present relevant and authentic arguments drawn from context and experience, and their inclusivity – of gender, age, faith traditions, and indigenous perspectives – strengthens their claims. Not only does this book make a convincing call for justice and offer practical steps toward reconciliation, but its structure provides a model for other contexts in which Christians are seeking to create new theologies in the face of war. Thus, this book’s wisdom is necessary for the global Church.

Author Bio: Judy Wang’ombe serves as a faculty member at Africa International University in Kenya, where she teaches and conducts research in interreligious studies and anthropology. Her interest in people of other religions led her to study in Islamics for her doctorate. She engages in Christian-Muslim relations with her husband, Dr. Harun Wang’ombe.

References

Munayer, John, and Samuel Munayer, eds. The Cross and the Olive Tree: Cultivating Palestinian Theology amid Gaza. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2025.

Neuhaus, David, S.J. “Building a Palestinian Theology amid the Ruin.” In The American Jesuit    Review. January 12, 2026. https://www.americamagazine.org/books/2026/01/12/building-a- palestinian-theology-amid-the-ruin/.