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[[Bethlehem]]’s mayor at the time said that, “Due to the stress – either physical or psychological – and the bad economic situation, many people are emigrating: either Christians or Muslims, but it is more apparent among Christians because they already are a minority.”
[[Bethlehem]]’s mayor at the time said that, “Due to the stress – either physical or psychological – and the bad economic situation, many people are emigrating: either Christians or Muslims, but it is more apparent among Christians because they already are a minority.”
Bethlehem has deteriorated dramatically in the last century. In 1947, Christians comprised about 85% of the city’s population, but that figure had actually plunged to 16% by 2016, and is estimated since then.
Though the Christians in the PA avoid saying so publicly, many of them fear – with good reason – that Muslim aggression against them will only escalate.<ref name=jp25dec2019/>
The situation of Christians in [[Bethlehem]] has deteriorated dramatically in the last century, and especially since the PA took control of the city in 1995. In 1947, Christians comprised about 85% of the city’s population, but that figure had actually plunged to 16% by 2016, and is estimated since then.<ref name=jp25dec2019/><ref>“The Mayor of Bethlehem is Christian, but it is Hamas that’s in charge.” [http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/44202%26eng%3Dy.html], Dec 2005</ref>
2019 report cited "Islamic oppression" as the main source of persecution at Christian small minority of Arab Palestinians.<ref name=jp25dec2019>[https://www.jpost.com/opinion/the-christian-crisis-612032 A Christian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank], The Jerusalem Post, Dec 25, 2019.
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In the Gaza Strip, the Christian population has plummeted from about 3,000 a decade ago to an estimated 1,000 today, most of them Greek Orthodox.
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<blockquote> ...
“Though the Christians in the PA avoid saying so publicly, many of them fear – with good reason – that Muslim aggression against them will only escalate,” wrote Edy Cohen, a researcher at the center. “Such fears are all the stronger in light of the thunderous silence of the Western [and Israeli] media, in the face of the Christian minority’s ongoing disappearance from the PA and Islamic lands in general.”
He added, pointedly, that “the ongoing international neglect of the plight of the Christians under PA rule can only lead to the vanishing of Christianity from the place where it emerged.”
In the Gaza Strip, the Christian population has plummeted from about 3,000 a decade ago to an estimated 1,000 today, most of them Greek Orthodox...
The situation of Christians in Bethlehem has deteriorated dramatically in the last century, and especially since the PA took control of the city in 1995. In 1947, Christians comprised about 85% of the city’s population, but that figure had plunged to 16% by 2016, and is estimated since then.
Bethlehem’s mayor at the time said that, “Due to the stress – either physical or psychological – and the bad economic situation, many people are emigrating: either Christians or Muslims, but it is more apparent among Christians because they already are a minority.”
A study by the Pew Research Center found that the decline in the Arab Christian population was both a result of a lower birth rate among Christians compared to Muslims and the fact that Christians were more likely to emigrate than any other religious group. A statistical analysis of the Christian exodus cited a lack of economic and educational opportunities among a community known for its middle-class status and higher education.</blockquote/></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>
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>