A large number of Christians are indigenous to "Palestine",<ref name=SME/> and many of these are descended from the first Christians- the first Jews who chose to follow Christ and recognize him as the messiah. Also many Arameans, another Semitic group native to the area, accepted Christ very early on in the history of Christianity, and thus contribute a lot to the genetics of today's Christians in the Palestinian Authority, later joined over thousand years later by surviving European crusaders and their families after their defeat at the hands of the Islamic armies,<ref>http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/2045/palestinian-christianity-myth</ref> when they blended into the native, Semitic Christian population.
[[File:Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity.JPG|thumb|The Church of the Nativity in [[Bethlehem]].]]
There are Catholic and Orthodox Churches in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza]].<ref name=SME>{{cite web|url=https://blog.sme.sk/kandalaft/politika/palestinski-krestania-zabudnuta-obet-okupacie|title=Palestinian Christians - a forgotten victim of the occupation|date=April 26, 2012|publisher=SME Blog (Slovakia)}}</ref> The Iraqi-born, Assyrian Australian prelate, [[Mar Mari Emmanuel]], visited Gaza once.
89% of Christians in Gaza are Greek Orthodox while 9.3% are Catholic and 1.52% belongs to other denominations.<ref name=GreekReporter>{{cite web|url=https://greekreporter.com/2014/08/11/struggling-christian-minority-in-gaza/|title=Struggling Christian Minority In Gaza|date=August 11, 2014|publisher=Greek Reporter}}</ref> Since the 2007 Israel blockade of Gaza, Christians have not being able to visit Holy Sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, having the same struggle as other Gaza inhabitants. This has led many to hold extreme positions "which does not differentiate between race and religion", warns a report from the Young Men’s Christian Association.<ref name=GreekReporter/>
[[File:366px-2010-08 Ramallah 59.jpg|thumbnail|250px|A Church at [[Ramallah]] ]]
On October 4, 2023, 5 Orthodox Jews were arrested on the West Bank for spitting at Christians in East Jerusalem.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/5-arrested-for-spitting-at-christians-in-jerusalem-police-minister-its-not-criminal/|title=5 arrested for spitting at Christians in Jerusalem; police minister: It’s not criminal|date=4 October 2023|publisher=Times of Israel}}</ref> And were condemned by all Rabbinical as well as Israeli government leadership. According to the Times of Israel, [[Itamar Ben-Gvir]] justified spitting toward Christians as "an ancient Jewish custom". Rabbis and other Orthodox Jews were incensed by that claim.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bnaibrith.org/israels-missionary-problem-jns/|title=Spitting in God’s eye (JNS)|date=October 5, 2023|publisher=B'nai B'rith International}}</ref>
The mayor of [[Ramallah]] Issa Kassis is Christian.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/21437|title=Holy Land: Christian leaders support Palestine's membership of UN|publisher=Independent Catholic News|date=November 14, 2012}}</ref> The mayor of Ramallah expressed to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, his willingness to deepen the collaboration between the municipality of the city and the Church, especially with regard to possible Palestinian Christian cultural projects. Members of the parish council also stressed the importance of this kind of initiatives, recalling their desire to increase the visibility of Christians in the Holy Land, not only locally but also abroad.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.abouna.org/content/holy-land-patriarch-pizzaballa-makes-pastoral-visit-ramallah|date=May 10, 2023|title=Holy Land: Patriarch Pizzaballa makes a pastoral visit to Ramallah|publisher=Abouna}}</ref> The mayor of [[Bethlehem]], Hanna Hanania, is also Christian.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scenenow.com/ArtsAndCulture/Christian-Palestinians-Are-Facing-Memoricide-And-Possible-Extinction|title=Christian Palestinians Are Facing Memoricide…And Possible Extinction|date=December 25, 2023|publisher=Scene Now}}</ref>
Approximately more than a half the population of Ramallah is Christian and the other half is Muslim.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Ramallah|title=Ramallah|publisher=Britannica}}</ref>
== Government ==