Changes

A large number of Christians are indigenous to "Palestine", 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.

A large number of Christians are indigenous to "Palestine", 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.

The "Christian Left" and many others like to use "Palestinian" Christians as a propaganda tool to turn Christians against Israel. Many of the Christians have taken on "Palestinian" nationalism promoted by the nearby Arab states, regardless of the fact that "Palestinian" nationalism is heavily rooted in both Islamism and pan-Arabism, which reject human rights for Christians or recognition of the distinct non-Arab Semitic ethnicities, mainly Aramean or Jewish, to which most of them belong, mainly due to [[taqiyya]] or propaganda to advance an Islamic cause. Israel-hatred runs very deep for these Christians because of their loyalty to this Arab identity, and many of them even hate Jewish people as a whole regardless of the ethnic, and to a lesser extent, cultural, origins of many of their own. Additionally many of these Christians will take sides with people who express a deep hatred for their fellow Christians around the Middle East.<ref>[http://unitedwithisrael.org/poll-palestinians-greatest-supporters-of-isis-in-middle-east-2/ addref]</ref>

There are Catholic and Orthodox Churches in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza]].

 

Many of the Christians have taken on "Palestinian" nationalism promoted by the nearby Arab states, regardless of the fact that "Palestinian" nationalism is heavily rooted in both Islamism and pan-Arabism, which reject human rights for Christians or recognition of the distinct non-Arab Semitic ethnicities, mainly Aramean or Jewish, to which most of them belong, mainly due to [[taqiyya]] or propaganda to advance an Islamic cause. Israel-hatred runs very deep for these Christians because of their loyalty to this Arab identity, and many of them even hate Jewish people as a whole regardless of the ethnic, and to a lesser extent, cultural, origins of many of their own. Additionally many of these Christians will take sides with people who express a deep hatred for their fellow Christians around the Middle East.<ref>[http://unitedwithisrael.org/poll-palestinians-greatest-supporters-of-isis-in-middle-east-2/ addref]</ref>

In many cases, the self-declared "Palestinian" government encourages demographic shifts in areas inhabited by minorities<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Christians#Persecutions</ref> (an example of this is the [[Samaritan Genocide]], a result of which only 300 [[Samaritans]] remain today in their traditional homeland in Samaria, the southern part of the West Bank) in one village (Kiryat Luza), in which there is an Israeli presence, responsible for protecting them from Arab ethnic cleansing. In [[Bethlehem]], Christians have become a small minority of the population under control of the Palestinian Authority.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem#Demographics</ref> In Israel, however, ethnic and religious minorities, in villages in which they historically formed the majority, have retained their status as the majority of the population in the vast majority of cases, a trend which shows no indication of changing in the future. Christians in Israel can even form their own political parties.<ref>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/joseph-puder/israeli-christians-moving-in-a-new-direction/</ref>

In many cases, the self-declared "Palestinian" government encourages demographic shifts in areas inhabited by minorities<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Christians#Persecutions</ref> (an example of this is the [[Samaritan Genocide]], a result of which only 300 [[Samaritans]] remain today in their traditional homeland in Samaria, the southern part of the West Bank) in one village (Kiryat Luza), in which there is an Israeli presence, responsible for protecting them from Arab ethnic cleansing. In [[Bethlehem]], Christians have become a small minority of the population under control of the Palestinian Authority.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem#Demographics</ref> In Israel, however, ethnic and religious minorities, in villages in which they historically formed the majority, have retained their status as the majority of the population in the vast majority of cases, a trend which shows no indication of changing in the future. Christians in Israel can even form their own political parties.<ref>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/joseph-puder/israeli-christians-moving-in-a-new-direction/</ref>