Why Are Palestinian Christians Leaving Palestinian and Jesus’ Birthplace? Pt. 1

 Bethlehem is the city believed to be the birthplace of Jesus.

 

This is Bethlehem, the city believed to be the birthplace of Jesus. But because Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, it's surrounded today by a massive concrete wall, military checkpoints, and illegal settlements. Over the decades, the percentage of Christians living in Bethlehem and the occupied Palestinian territories has plummeted, rendering them practically invisible.

 

This is the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, one of the holiest sites in Christianity. 

This spot right here is believed to be exactly where Jesus was born.

Around the year 1900, Christians made up about 11% of the population of what was historically called Palestine. That’s now down to less than 2% in all of Israel and the occupied territories. The decline is much more pronounced here in Bethlehem. Seventy years ago, the area was 80% Christian. Today, that number is only 12%.

Why are the numbers of Christians specifically dwindling here? Like all Palestinians, Christians live under Israeli reality, Israeli oppression.

Here in the West Bank, in Bethlehem, like all Palestinian Christians live under the Israeli military occupation, where they suffer from restrictions of movement, and very limited opportunities economically. Overall, the quality of life here is very difficult.

This used to be the main road in Bethlehem. And then the wall cut really in the

middle of the road, and what used to be one of the liveliest streets or roads in Bethlehem. is now this dead area as a result.

To them, Jesus was one of them. They look at him as a Palestinian Jew. He was born here. And they think that even if he was born today,

he would be born on our side of the wall, because Jesus was born under the occupation, under the Roman Empire.

Israel began building the wall here in Bethlehem in 2002, in what it says was an attempt to stop Palestinian attackers from entering its territory. But rather than building the wall on the boundary between Israel and the West Bank, it was built deep inside the occupied Palestinian territories. That left massive areas of Palestinian land inaccessible to their owners on one side of the wall while keeping Palestinians confined on the other side.

The wall cuts off access to most of Bethlehem’s farmland and, in the north, it completely blocks off the route to Jerusalem,

another city Christians consider holy, which is just over 5 miles away.

It makes us wonder whether, if Jesus was here today and wants to go to Jerusalem, would he need a permit to go to Jerusalem?

Israel has imposed this permit system on Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza since 1993. To leave those territories - even if it's to worship at Jerusalem’s holy sites - Palestinians have to apply for Israeli permits that are often rejected.

In 2022, many local Christians were banned from attending Easter celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus is believed to have been buried. It was very upsetting to see, for a Christian, that he can’t go to one of their important ceremonies at Easter, the most important ceremony.

This is of course part of a much larger violation of Palestinian Christians’ right to religion. Because like other Palestinians, Christians have faced violence and attacks from the Israeli state and settlers alike.

One shocking recent example of an attack on Christians at the hands of Israel was this: In May 2022, Israeli forces attacked the funeral procession of Palestinian Christian and renowned Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. She was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier

while reporting in a helmet and flak jacket clearly marked as press. It was extremely upsetting. Even just her funeral, it was under attack.

Palestinian Christians were among the earliest and most fervent opponents of British colonial rule in Palestine and were early leaders in fighting against the displacement of Palestinians to make room for a Jewish state. And that fight continues today.

While many churches around the world have spoken out against Israel’s actions, there’s a notable voice missing – the very devout and very politically influential American Evangelical Christians.

Click here to read the 2^nd and final part