Editing Palestinian Christians (section)

===Christian emigration===
{{See also|Christian emigration|Palestinian diaspora|Arab diaspora}}
[[File:MontCarmel.20July.2.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A pre-1948 celebration of the Feast of [[Elijah|St. Elias]] at [[Stella Maris Monastery]] on [[Mount Carmel]], on 20 July]]
In addition to neighboring countries, such as [[Lebanon]] and [[Jordan]], many Palestinian Christians emigrated to countries in [[Latin America]] (notably [[Argentina]] and [[Chile]]), as well as to [[Australia]], the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. The Palestinian Authority is unable to keep exact tallies.<ref name="ReutersFactbox"/> The share of Christians in the population has also decreased due to the fact that Muslim Palestinians generally have much higher birth rates than the Christians.<ref name="state">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Israel and the Occupied Territories |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71423.htm#occterr |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=2001-2009.state.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref name="BBC">{{cite news|title=Guide: Christians in the Middle East|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=15 December 2005|access-date=6 May 2007|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4499668.stm|archive-date=15 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115082349/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4499668.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The causes of this Christian exodus are hotly debated, with various possibilities put forth.<ref name=larry>{{cite news|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710889374&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull|title=Persecuted Christians?|first=Larry|date=7 May 2009|access-date=10 May 2009|last=Derfner|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822142413/https://sdk.streamrail.com/cs-config/cs.html?org=5fc4e64a13fd9b0001fed793&tc=5fcf73ff6900a50001a5ff58&as=5fcf73ff6900a50001a5ff5a&type=hb&wd=cs.yellowblue.io&domain=fr.jpost.com|url-status=live}}</ref> Many of the Palestinian Christians in the diaspora are those who fled or were expelled during the 1948 war and their descendants.<ref name="SabellaBushra"/> After discussion between [[Yosef Weitz]] and [[Moshe Sharett]], [[Ben-Gurion]] authorized a project for the transference of the Christian communities of the Galilee to Argentina, but the proposal failed in the face of Christian opposition.<ref>Ali Abunimah, [https://books.google.com/books?id=CET4o1oMztIC&pg=PA97 ''One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse''], Metropolitan Books 2006 p. 97.</ref><ref>Elaine C. Hagopian, ' Palestinian Refugee: Victims of Zionist Ideology,' in Maurine and Robert Tobin (ds.), [https://books.google.com/books?id=zeWXoGGptHAC&pg=PA37 ''How Long O Lord?: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Voices from the Ground and Visions of the Future in Israel/Palestine,''] Cowley Publications 2003 pp. 29–50, 36–37.</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first=Nur |last=Masalha|author-link=Nur Masalha|title=An Israeli Plan to Transfer Galilee's Christians to South America: Yosef Weitz and "Operation Yohanan," 1949–53|journal=CMEIS Occasional Paper |issn=1357-7522 |publisher=Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, University of Durham|year= 1996}}</ref> [[Reuters]] has reported that the emigrants since then have left in pursuit of better living standards.<ref name="ReutersFactbox"/>

The [[BBC]] has also blamed the economic decline in the Palestinian Authority as well as pressure from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the exodus.<ref name="BBC"/> A report on [[Bethlehem]] residents stated both Christians and Muslims wished to leave but the Christians possessed better contacts with people abroad and higher levels of education.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=[[BBC News]]|title=Bethlehem's Christians cling to hope|date=22 December 2005|access-date=17 August 2009|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4548312.stm|first=Heather|last=Sharp|archive-date=19 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519083930/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4548312.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> The Vatican and the Catholic Church blamed the Israeli occupation and the conflict in the Holy Land for the Christian exodus from the Holy Land and the Middle East in general.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?ID=191261&R=R1|title=Israeli-Palestinian conflict blamed for Christian exodus|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=6 July 2010|access-date=21 January 2016|archive-date=22 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022024135/http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?ID=191261&R=R1|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[The Jerusalem Post]]'' (an Israeli newspaper) has stated that the "shrinking of the Palestinian Christian community in the Holy Land came as a direct result of its middle-class standards" and that Muslim pressure has not played a major role according to Christian residents themselves. It reported that the Christians have a public image of elitism and of class privilege as well as of non-violence and of open personalities, which leaves them more vulnerable to criminals than Muslims. Hanna Siniora, a prominent Christian Palestinian human rights activist, has attributed harassment against Christians to "little groups" of "hoodlums" rather than to the Hamas and Fatah governments.<ref name=larry/> In his last novel, the Palestinian Christian writer [[Emile Habibi]] has a character affirm that: "There is no difference between Christian and Muslim: we are all Palestinian in our predicament."<ref>{{cite book|first=Emile|last=Habibi|title=Saraya, the Ogre's Daughter: A Palestinian Fairy Tale|publisher= Ibis Editions|year=2006|page=169}}</ref>

According to a report in ''[[The Independent]]'', thousands of Christian Palestinians "emigrated to Latin America in the 1920s, when Mandatory Palestine was hit by drought and a severe economic depression."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/the-ravaged-palace-that-symbolises-the-hope-of-peace-2266960.html|title=The ravaged palace that symbolises the hope of peace|author=Matthew Kalman in Beit Jala|date=12 April 2011|work=The Independent|access-date=21 January 2016|archive-date=25 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925133505/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/the-ravaged-palace-that-symbolises-the-hope-of-peace-2266960.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Today, Chile houses the largest Palestinian Christian community in the world outside of the Levant. As many as 350,000 Palestinian Christians reside in Chile, most of whom came from [[Beit Jala]], Bethlehem, and [[Beit Sahur]].<ref>'You See How Many We Are!'. David Adams [http://www.1worldcommunication.org/youseehow.htm lworldcommunication.org] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917231858/http://1worldcommunication.org/youseehow.htm |date=17 September 2010 }}</ref> Also, [[El Salvador]], [[Honduras]], [[Brazil]], [[Colombia]], Argentina, [[Venezuela]], and other Latin American countries have significant Palestinian Christian communities, some of whom immigrated almost a century ago during the time of [[History of Palestine#Ottoman period|Ottoman Palestine]].<ref>Palestine in South America. V!VA Travel Guides. [http://www.vivatravelguides.com/south-america/chile/chile-articles/palestine-in-chile/ vivatravelsguides.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318183514/http://www.vivatravelguides.com/south-america/chile/chile-articles/palestine-in-chile/ |date=18 March 2018 }}</ref>

In a 2006 poll of Christians in Bethlehem by the Palestinian Centre for Research and Cultural Dialogue, 90% reported having Muslim friends, 73% agreed that the Palestinian Authority treats Christian heritage in the city with respect, and 78% attributed the ongoing exodus of Christians from Bethlehem to the Israeli occupation and travel restrictions on the area.<ref name="Ekklesia">{{cite web|title=Americans not sure where Bethlehem is, survey shows |publisher=[[Ekklesia (think tank)|Ekklesia]] |date=20 December 2006 |access-date=7 May 2007 |url=http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_061220bethlehem.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203015857/http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_061220bethlehem.shtml |archive-date=3 December 2013 }}</ref> Daniel Rossing, the Israeli Ministry of Religious Affairs' chief liaison to Christians in the 1970s and 1980s, has stated that the situations for them in Gaza became much worse after the election of Hamas. He also stated that the Palestinian Authority, which counts on Christian westerners for financial support, treats the minority fairly. He blamed the [[Israeli West Bank barrier]] as the primary problem for the Christians.<ref name=larry/>

The [[United States State Department]]'s 2006 report on [[religious freedom]] criticized both Israel for its restrictions on travel to Christian holy sites and the Palestinian Authority for its failure to stamp out anti-Christian crime. It also reported that the former gives preferential treatment in basic civic services to Jews and the latter does so to Muslims. The report stated that, generally, ordinary Muslim and Christian citizens enjoy good relations in contrast to the "strained" Jewish and Arab relations.<ref name=state/> A 2005 [[BBC]] report also described Muslim and Christian relations as "peaceful".<ref name="BBC"/>

The Arab Human Rights Association, an Arab [[NGO]] in Israel, has stated that Israeli authorities have denied Palestinian Christians in Israel access to holy places, prevented repairs needed to preserve historic holy sites, and carried out physical attacks on religious leaders.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sanctity Denied: The Destruction and Abuse of and Christian Holy Places in Israel|publisher=arabhra.org|access-date=10 May 2009|language=ar|url=http://www.arabhra.org/Hra/SecondaryArticles/SecondaryArticlePage.aspx?SecondaryArticle=1354&Language=2|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223214602/http://www.arabhra.org/Hra/SecondaryArticles/SecondaryArticlePage.aspx?SecondaryArticle=1354&Language=2|archive-date=23 February 2010}}</ref>

Multiple factors, the internal dislocation of Palestinians in wars; the creation of three contiguous refugee camps for those displaced; emigration of Muslims from Hebron; hindrances to development under Israeli military occupation with its land confiscations, and a lax and corrupt judicial system under the PNA that is often incapable of enforcing laws, have all contributed to Christian emigration, which has been a tradition since the British Mandate period. 
This has been contested,{{who|date=May 2015}} as the main cause of Christian emigration from Bethlehem, Kairos Palestine—an independent coalition Christian organisation, set up to help communicate to the Christian world what is happening in Palestine—sent a letter to ''The Wall Street Journal'' to explain that "In the case of Bethlehem, for instance, it is in fact the rampant construction of Israeli settlements, the chokehold imposed by the separation wall and the Israeli government's confiscation of Palestinian land that has driven many Christians to leave," the unprinted letter, quoted in ''Haaretz'', states. "At present, a mere 13 percent of Bethlehem-area land is left to its Palestinian inhabitants".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/christian-palestinians-israel-manipulating-facts-by-claiming-we-are-welcome-1.420718|title=Christian Palestinians: Israel 'Manipulating Facts' by Claiming We Are Welcome|work=Haaretz|access-date=21 January 2016|archive-date=20 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820113746/http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/christian-palestinians-israel-manipulating-facts-by-claiming-we-are-welcome-1.420718|url-status=live}}</ref>

Most of the Gaza Strip's Christian population lived in [[Gaza City]], in the north.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tulloch |first=Joseph |title=Palestinian Christians despair as Gaza homeland destroyed by Israel's war |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/11/9/palestinian-christians-despair-as-gaza-homeland-destroyed-by-israels-war |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> In 2023 the Israeli militarily [[Gaza Strip evacuations|attempted to force them out]] by the [[Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza fear they won't be able to return to their homes |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/why-displaced-palestinians-in-northern-gaza-fear-they-wont-be-able-to-return-to-their-homes/mm89si6c6 |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=SBS News |language=en}}</ref> As of October 2024, most of Gaza's Christians had refused to leave, our not felt safe to traverse the war zone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sudilovsky |first=Judith |title=In the 'bleeding region,' Gaza Strip's Christian community lifts each other up, defying reality |url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/bleeding-region-gaza-strips-christian-community-lifts-each-other-defying-reality |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=www.ncronline.org |language=en}}</ref> In November 2024, Israel announced that no Palestinians would be allowed to "return" to North Gaza.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kubovich |first=Yaniv |title='There will be no return': IDF says it won't allow residents to return to northern Gaza |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-11-08/ty-article/there-will-be-no-return-idf-says-it-wont-allow-residents-to-return-to-northern-gaza/00000193-0c79-d49a-a993-4cfd67f90000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241111210042/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-11-08/ty-article/there-will-be-no-return-idf-says-it-wont-allow-residents-to-return-to-northern-gaza/00000193-0c79-d49a-a993-4cfd67f90000 |archive-date=11 November 2024 |access-date=2024-12-18 |work=Haaretz.com |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=McKernan |first1=Bethan |last2=Christou |first2=William |date=2024-11-06 |title=Palestinians will not be allowed to return to homes in northern Gaza, says IDF |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/06/palestinians-will-not-be-allowed-to-return-to-homes-in-northern-gaza-says-idf |access-date=2024-12-18 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-07 |title=Palestinians not allowed to return home to Northern Gaza: IDF |url=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/radionational-breakfast/palestinians-not-allowed-to-return-home-to-northern-gaza/104575324 |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=ABC listen |language=en-AU}}</ref>