Church Spokesman Lies About Why Jerusalem’s Christian Population Shrank

Toeing Palestinian line, Catholic official claims “Jewish extremism” is at least part of the problem

By Ryan Jones | | Topics: CHRISTIANS
In the Middle East, it’s only under Israel’s protection that Christians enjoy true freedom.
Photo: Miriam Alster / Flash90

Christians once made up a far greater percentage of Jerusalem’s population, and Church officials would have us believe that Israel is to blame for their reduced numbers.

But even a cursory examination of readily-available historical facts shows that is a lie, and a bald-faced one at that.

In yet another of his conspiratorial press releases, the spokesman for the Council of Heads of Catholic Churches in Jerusalem, Wadih Abu Nassar, wrote this week that while once Christians constituted 25% of Jerusalem’s population, today they make up a mere 1%.

The reason? According to Abu Nassar, economic difficulties play into it, but among the “key” factors driving Christians out of Jerusalem are attacks by Jewish “extremists” and the expansion of Israeli “settlements.”

For anyone willing to take even just a few minutes of their time to check, these claims are demonstrably false.

But since so many are either too lazy or predisposed to believe every slur hurled at Israel, blogger Elder of Ziyon did the quick research and laid out the facts.

  • The last time Christians made up 25% of Jerusalem’s population was in 1922. Since then a LOT of Jews have moved to the city, thus shifting the population balance.
  • Jerusalem had nearly 300,000 Christian residents at one point, but today has only 16,000.
  • The precipitous drop in the Christian population occurred between the mid-1940s and the mid-1960s.
  • During those two decades, East Jerusalem was ruled by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
  • Since Israel gained control of East Jerusalem in 1967, census data shows that Jerusalem’s Christian population has been once again INCREASING.

You can see the data for yourself here: Demographic history of Jerusalem

So, Jerusalem’s Christian population did indeed decrease, by a lot. But that decrease happened entirely during a period when half the city, the half where Christians live, was ruled by Muslims.

It was JORDANIAN occupation that drove Christians out of the city. Israel’s reunification of Jerusalem has by comparison been a boon for its Christian population.

If anything, Abu Nassar should be thanking Israel! At the very least, as a Christian, he should be heeding the Word of God:

You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. Exodus 23:1

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