January 21, 2025

Why the Christian population in the West Bank is dwindling

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by The Philos Project

Why is the Christian population in the West Bank rapidly decreasing?

The Christian population in the West Bank has declined precipitously since 1948. This historic Christian population, one of the oldest in the world, was once composed of large numbers of Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and Protestant Christians.

But since 1948, this population has dwindled from 10% to 1%. In the historic city of Bethlehem, where Christians once composed 85% of the population, the number of Christians has dwindled to about 10%.

Why Christians are diminishing:

To understand why Christians in the West Bank are dwindling, we must examine the broader regional trend of Christian persecution in the Middle East.

Christians are facing persecution from Islamist extremist groups. ISIS and other terror groups are notorious for their brutal treatment of Christians, and many have fled the region.

Challenges facing West Bank Christians

Christian populations in the West Bank have nearly disappeared for many of the same reasons they are disappearing in the broader region: Harrassment, violence, discrimination, and a lack of economic opportunities.

A worsening situation

According to a 2020 survey by The Philos Project and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research:

  • > 40% of Palestinian Christians surveyed indicated that they feel that Muslims do not wish to see them in Palestine.
  • 44% feel that there is discrimination against Christians when seeking employment.
  • 50% describe their economic situation as “bad or very bad.”
  • ~30% have been called a “non-believer or “crusader” by Muslims.

Recently, Christians have been facing greater challenges.

Whose fault is it?

Some voices in the West have blamed Israel for the declining population of Christians in the West Bank. But these claims often paper over the complex governing structure on the ground.

Since the Oslo Accords, Israel has been divided into three areas.

Christians increasing in Israel-controlled areas

In addition to discrimination from their own Arab community, Christians face harassment and violence from Israeli Settlers in the West Bank – a phenomenon that has received condemnation from many prominent voices in Israeli politics.

However, the Christian population inside Israel’s Area C is one of the only Christian populations in the Near East that has grown in recent years. As of 2022, Christians constituted approximately 1.9% of Israel’s total population, numbering around 185,000 individuals. This reflects a 2% increase from the previous year. Notably, 75.8% of these Christians are Arab Christians, representing 6.9% of the total Arab population in Israel.

This increase is likely due to several factors, including the worsening status of Christians in PA-controlled areas and Israel’s laws protecting religious freedom and equality under the law.

Striving for change

It is a sad reality that Christians are under assault in the West Bank and simultaneously are on the decline. This ancient population is facing harassment, violence, discrimination, and more – merely for asserting their religious beliefs.

We must hope and pray for a time where freedom of religion exists within the West Bank and Christians may ultimately live without coercion or abject persecution for their faith.

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SOURCES:

Times of Israel

The Times

The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research