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Christmas in Bethlehem and video of the annual parade in the Palestinian city south of Jerusalem is standard holiday fare on television news. Since the days of Yasir Arafat the Palestinian Authority has made a big deal out of the Christmas celebration, and the media’s need for footage suitable for a day on which little news is made has always been a bonanza for Fatah. The result is that along with quaint pictures of Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity Western viewers are given the impression that Christianity is both protected and cherished by the PA. PA leaders also use the occasion to try and make the argument that the Palestinians, rather than the Israelis, are the true descendants of the Jewish nation that produced Jesus of Nazareth two thousand years ago.

Both assertions are equally false. Modern day Christians face harassment and exclusion throughout a region where the Arab Spring has brought Islamists to power, and nowhere is that more true than in the West Bank and Gaza.

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Previous Post: Christianity Is 'Close To Extinction' In The Middle East

My Comment: In 1947, Christians made up 85% of the population, but by 1998 the figure had declined to 40% .... and today .... probably much lower. And while the Palestinian authorities blame Israeli travel restrictions for the exodus .... I suspect that discrimination, a dire economic situation, continuing conflict and unrest, and the rise of Islamic radicalism are .... in total .... expediting this immigration.