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Demographics Don't Lie: The Decline of the Christian Population in PA- and Hamas-Controlled Areas

(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs) Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch and Tirza Shorr - The Christian population living under Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas rule has steeply declined. In 1922, Christians constituted 11% of the population of geographical Palestine. In 1946, they constituted 8%, reflecting the greater relative growth of Jews and Muslims due to immigration. In 1967, Christians in Judea and Samaria were 6% of the population. In 1997 they constituted 1.5% of the total Palestinian population, in 2007 - 1.2%, and in 2017 - 1%. In Bethlehem, Christians frequently face violence and intimidation, and are left defenseless. A member of the Protestant clergy explained: "Christians feel unprotected due to the failure of the PA police to intervene on their behalf in confrontations with Muslims." In 1950, Bethlehem and the surrounding villages were 86% Christian. By 2017, Bethlehem's Christian population had dwindled to 10%. The mass exodus of the Christians risks undermining the survival of Christianity in its birthplace. Palestinian Christians report systematic employment discrimination, forcing many to leave their communities to seek opportunities elsewhere. A 2022 study indicated a strong desire among Gaza's Christian population to emigrate, twice as strong as that of Muslims. This explains how the Christian population of Gaza dwindled from 5,000 people before Hamas took control to just 1,000 in October 2023. Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch, former director of the Military Prosecution in Judea and Samaria, is director of the Palestinian Authority Accountability Initiative at the Jerusalem Center, where Tirza Shorr is a senior researcher and program coordinator.
2024-12-24 00:00:00
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