Just the Facts: Christians in the Holy Land
- Christians were 80 percent of the population in and around Bethlehem when Israel was founded.
- Christians make up just 12 percent of that population today.
- There are between 200,000 and 300,000 Christians in Israel and Palestine.
- About half of Christians in the Holy Land are Greek Orthodox.
- In Latin America, Christian Palestinians make up approximately 85 percent of all Palestinian immigrants.
- 20 to 25% of Christians in Palestine feel discrimination when searching for jobs or when seeking government services.
- Surveys show that the desire to emigrate is much higher among Palestinian Christians than Palestinian Muslims.
- Because of the Nakba, Christians in the Holy Land dropped from 8% to 2.3% of the population.
- 32.6% of Christians cite lack of freedom and security as a reason they emigrate.
- 26.4% cite the worsening economy as the reason for their emigration.
- Christians in other Middle Eastern countries, such as Syria and Egypt, have also faced problems and persecution that are leading to emigration.
Sources
- “Why Christians Are Fleeing the Holy Lands” by Klaus Wivel for Forward
- “Migration of Palestinian Christians: Drivers and Means of Combating it” from Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR)
- “Holy Land Christians feel abandoned by U.S. evangelicals” from NBC News
Learning More
To learn more you can watch The Stones Cry Out. And we have a playlist of related videos on YouTube.