Monday, December 01, 2025
Elder of Ziyon
The Washington Post reports about the Christian exodus from the Middle East. For Bethlehem it says:
Another place that is visibly losing its Christians is Bethlehem, the Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank where Christians believe Jesus was born. Israeli military restrictions and resulting economic hardship have helped drive a recent exodus, residents say, but the drain has been underway for years. The Christian share of the population has dropped from 85 percent before Israel was founded in 1948 to about 10 percent in 2017, according to a more recent Palestinian census.
The WaPo is linking the Christian exodus to Israel's founding. But that is not really the proper linkage: it is linked to Muslim control of the city.
Let's look at the Christian and Muslim population of Bethlehem at four key dates: 1948, when it was annexed by Jordan; 1967, when it was conquered by Israel; 1995, when control of nearly all of Bethlehem was given to the Palestinian Authority, and today.
| Year | Total Population (Estimate) | Christian Population (Estimate) | Muslim Population (Estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | ~8,500 | ~6,800 – 7,200 | ~1,300 – 1,700 |
| 1967 | 14,439 | 6,231 | 8,208 |
| 1997 | ~22,300 | ~9,800 – 11,150 | ~11,150 – 12,500 |
| Today (2022/2024 Estimates) | ~35,000 | ~3,500 – 4,200 | ~30,800 – 31,500 |
The only time in the past 77 years that the Christian population of Bethlehem increased was under Jewish rule.
Jordan flooded Bethlehem with Palestinian Muslim refugees after 1948, changing the demographic balance significantly. But besides the huge change in percentage of Christians in Bethlehem during that time, there was also an exodus of some 10% of the Christin population under Jordanian rule.
When Israel took over the city, the Christian population increased by between 57-79%.
When the Palestinian Authority took control, it plummeted by some 62%.
It is Muslim rule that forces Christians out of Bethlehem, not Israel. Just like throughout the rest of the Middle East.
The media doesn't report it well, but the Muslim gangs in Bethlehem do persecute the Christians. Christians are also treated like second class citizens in the PA.
The Christian leaders who remain in Bethlehem are generally of the most antisemitic denominations, combined with their huge fear of the Muslim majority, that makes them blame Israel for the exodus to the media who happily accept that narrative.
We will be seeing lots of stories in coming weeks blaming Israel for Christian flight. But the numbers don't lie - if Israel's policies forced Christians to leave, they would be forcing Muslims to leave as well, yet Muslims are increasing dramatically.
Christians are fleeing Bethlehem for the exact same reasons they are fleeing the entire region - because of Muslims and increased Muslim fundamentalism, not because of Jews,.
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"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024) PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022) |
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