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There are
approximately 50,000 Christian Arabs living in areas under the
exclusive control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). This Fact Sheet
focuses on the living standards of this minority.
Background
Information
Recent
statistics show that the Christian Arab population numbers
approximately 2.4 percent of the total population. This is a
significant decrease from 1948, when the figure was approximately
20%. (New York Times, 31 December 1995).
Although collectively referred to as Christian Arabs, they include
the Eastern Orthodox, which is the largest group, and the Catholics,
who are considered to have the most powerful voice due to recent
Vatican-Israel relations. By comparison, the Protestants are a tiny
group.
This overall drop in population has led to major geopolitical
changes. Until 1948, Bethlehem had a Christian majority of 80%.
Today, under PA rule, it has a Muslim majority of 80%. Few
Christians remain in the PA-controlled parts of the West Bank. Those
who can emigrate often do so. It would appear that the PA is trying
to conceal this massive population shift.
Pope John Paul II was mindful of these sobering facts.
Significantly, during his visit to Bethlehem in March 2000, he urged
Christian Arabs to remain in Bethlehem, the home of Christianity,
saying, “Do not be afraid to preserve your Christian heritage and
Christian presence in Bethlehem.”
Conversely, the Christian population in Israel has more than
quadrupled since 1948. In a census conducted by the British
mandatory authorities in 1947, there were 28,000 Christians in
Jerusalem. Since 1948, this number has increased from 30,000 (all of
Israel) to approximately 146,000 as of 1993 (Jerusalem, seventh
edition; Israel Information Center, 1995). This more than 200%
increase is largely seen as a result of Israel’s policy of
guaranteeing freedom of worship to all religions in all places.
General Institutional
Persecution
The official
religion of the Palestinian Authority is Islam and the basic laws of
the PA are based on Koranic Shari’a. Organizations such as Hamas and
Islamic Jihad have publicly advocated the establishment of a unified
fundamentalist Islamic state over the entire Middle East. It is not
surprising to find numerous claims that the Christian Arabs are
subject to subtle discrimination by the Palestinian Authority, as
shown below. U.S. courts have even granted asylum to Palestinian
Christian Arab refugees, on the grounds that they would be oppressed
if they return to the PA areas.
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Today, the PA-controlled Wakf prevents Jews and Christians
from praying on the Temple Mount, an area considered to be
of religious and historical importance to the Christian
religion. |
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Many mosques have mushroomed adjacent to and usually taller
than churches. Loudly amplified Moslem sermons have been
aired during Christian services, including the Pope's April
2000 address in Nazareth. The Moslem broadcasts were so
loud, in fact, that the Pope was forced to halt his speech
until Moslem call to prayer was concluded. |
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Anti-Christian rhetoric is common in official PA broadcasts.
For example, in a Friday sermon on October 13, 2000,
broadcast live on official Palestinian Authority television
from a Gaza mosque, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya proclaimed: “Allah
the almighty has called upon us not to ally with the Jews or
the Christians, not to like them, not to become their
partners, not to support them, and not to sign agreements
with them.” |
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The treatment
of Christian women, like that of Moslem women in
PA-controlled areas, is also oppressive in nature. Accused
of wearing “permissive” Western clothing, there have been
many cases of intimidation and harassment reported by
Bethlehem Christian women. Even more alarming, there have
been frequent reports of rape and abduction of Christian
women (especially in Beit Sahur). |
PA Treatment of Christian
Holy Sites
Throughout
PA-controlled areas, there are numerous sites of historic or
religious significance to the Christian religion. Many have become a
focal point as Palestinian gunmen abused their sanctity, waging
battles, hiding explosives, and more. Some examples include:
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Without prior consent of the church, Yasser Arafat turned
the Greek Orthodox monastery near the Church of the Nativity
in Bethlehem into his domicile during his visits to the
city. |
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On July 5, 1997, the PLO seized Abraham's Oak Russian Holy
Trinity Monastery in Hebron, violently evicting monks and
nuns. |
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During the 2000-2002 Palestinian War of Terror, the PA's
Tanzim militia chose the Christian town of Beit Jala to
shoot at Jerusalem. They were specifically positioned in or
near Christian homes, hotels, churches (e.g., St. Nicholas),
and the Greek Orthodox club. |
The most flagrant example of Palestinian disregard for the
holiness of Christian shrines occurred last spring, during the
takeover of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem by PA forces.
Palestinian gunmen held over 40 Christian clergy and nuns as
hostages. This takeover was not an act of desperation nor did it
center around refugees seeking safe haven during the heat of battle.
Very simply, over 100 armed and wanted terrorists deliberately
forced the Israeli government to lay siege to the holy site. The
PA’s intentional strategy was designed to embarrass Israel. Abdullah
Abu-Hadida, a senior Tanzim commander, later commented: “The idea
was to enter the church in order to create international pressure on
Israel...”
Sadly, once the Church was finally evacuated, it was found that it
had been desecrated and defiled.
Current Status Of
Christians Living In PA-Controlled Areas
According to evidence received by The Prism Group, the Christians
remaining in PA-controlled areas are subjected to relentless
persecution. A few limited examples include:
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In June 1997, agents of the Palestinian Authority’s
Preventive Security Service arrested a Palestinian convert
to Christianity for regularly attending church and prayer
meetings and distributing Bibles. This man is still being
held in a Palestinian prison and has been subjected to
physical torture and interrogations. |
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In August 1997, Palestinian policemen in Beit Sahur opened
fire on a crowd of Christians Arabs, wounding six of them.
Arafat attempted to cover up the incident and has warned the
Arab media against publicizing the story. The local
commander of the Palestinian police instructed journalists
not to report the incident. |
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A Palestinian convert in Ramallah was recently visited by
Palestinian police at his home and warned that if he
continued to preach Christianity, he would be arrested and
charged with being an Israeli spy. |
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The Comtsieh
family [a Christian family] has a building that serves as a
business center in Bethlehem, but several years ago a Moslem
family from Hebron took possession of the building. The
Comtsieh family filed a claim with the Palestinian Authority
judicial system. After long and arduous court hearings, the
court ruled in the claimant's favor. However, the police
never enforced the verdict. Representatives of the Hebron
family later appeared with a new court verdict (signed by
the same judge who ruled in the claimants’ favor
previously), canceling the previous verdict and ratifying
the Hebron family's ownership of the property. |
The PA leadership
maintains that it seeks peace, with guarantees of religious freedom.
Unfortunately, the facts show otherwise. The Christians in PA
controlled areas have begun to pray in secret. Some are applying to
move to Israeli-controlled areas, where they are assured the right
to worship freely. If action is not taken to ease the plight of
Christians in PA-controlled areas, it is likely that the presence of
Christians in these areas will continue to dwindle until few will
remain to guard the holy sites.
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