MembersWhy Are Palestinian Christians Really Leaving the Holy Land?

Survey reveals strong desire among Palestinian Christians to move West, but is it really because of Israel, where Christians tend to thrive?

By Rami Dabbas | | Topics: palestinians, CHRISTIANS
Orthodox Christians mark Easter in Jerusalem's Old City.
Orthodox Christians mark Easter in Jerusalem's Old City. Photo: Miriam Alster/Flash90

It is no secret that Palestinian Christians have been leaving the Holy Land in recent decades. But what are the real root causes of this migration in search of greater stability, security and equality?

A survey conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research between January 27 and February 23 in 2020 confirmed that Christians are far more likely to seem to emigrate than Palestinian Muslims.

The Palestinian Christian minority lives in a number of West Bank cities such as Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus and Jericho, and in the Gaza Strip as well. By 2017, official figures indicated that their numbers had plummeted to just 47,000 people out of about four million Palestinians living in the West Bank and another two million in the Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank in particular the Christian population has decreased significantly over the past 100 years. For example, in 1922 Christians made up 84 percent of the population of Bethlehem. In 2007, they were just 28 percent of the...

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