Emigration of Christians from Israel and Palestine

Emigration of Christians from Israel and Palestine refers to the long-term migration of Palestinian Christian communities originating from historic Palestine, particularly from cities such as Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Beit Jala, and Beit Sahour.

Scholars characterize this emigration as a structurally driven phenomenon linked to political conflict, economic pressures, and migration networks, rather than religious persecution. The topic has been misrepresented in propaganda relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Background

The phenomenon is part of the wider trend of Palestinian emigration, which has been higher among Christians due to historical circumstances, ^[1] and part of a wider trend of emigration among Arab Christians. ^[2] It is considered to be of particular significance because Christianity began in Palestine, and the Palestinian Christian community are considered to be descendants of the first Christians.

Causes

Contrary to some politicized claims, the emigration phenomenon is not primarily driven by Muslim-Christian relations. ^[3]

In a 2020 study, similar factors were noted for emigration of Christian communities in Gaza. ^[4]

Politics

2006 letter to the U.S. House Committee on International Relations, on behalf of:
* Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem
* Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
* Torkom Manoogian, Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem
* Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custody of the Holy Land
* Anba Abraham, Coptic Orthodox Church
* Severius Malki Mourad, Syriac Orthodox Church
* Abune Grima, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
* Paul Nabil El-Sayah, Maronite Church
* Riah Abu El-Assal, Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East
* Munib Younan, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
* Pierre Malki, Syriac Catholic Church
* George Rakar, Melkite Greek Catholic Church
* Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate

Debates over the causes of Christian emigration from Palestine have become a recurring feature in media coverage of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, in efforts to influence opinion of Christian communities in the West. ^[5]

In 2006, a draft bill was introduced by Representatives Michael McCaul and Joseph Crowley, drafted by their staffers Ari Stein and Gregg Sheiowitz, ^[6] which attributed the decline of the Christian population primarily to alleged failures by the Palestinian Authority. ^[7] According to Professor Daphne Tsimhoni of the Israel Institute of Technology “almost all the bill’s assertions are either exaggerations, misrepresentations or sheer fabrications.” ^[6] Representatives of churches in Palestine submitted a letter to the U.S. House Committee on International Relations stating that the resolution misrepresented the causes of Christian emigration by emphasizing internal religious or political factors while omitting the impact of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including movement restrictions and economic constraints. Critics noted that the resolution had been drafted without consultation with Palestinian Christian institutions and risked reinforcing politicized narratives about Christian–Muslim relations in the region. The resolution was quietly withdrawn following the criticism. ^[8]

In 2012, the CBS News program 60 Minutes aired a report titled “Christians of the Holy Land”, presented by correspondent Bob Simon, examining the decline of Christian communities in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and surrounding areas. ^[9] The segment linked emigration to conditions associated with the broader Israeli–Palestinian conflict, including restrictions on movement and economic pressures. Michael Oren, then Israeli ambassador to the United States, attempted to influence CBS to withdraw it prior to publication, arguing that it placed disproportionate blame on Israel. Simon responded by defending the reporting both on air and in subsequent interviews, stating that the segment reflected the testimony of local Christian residents and clergy and was consistent with available historical and empirical research. ^[10]

See also

• Palestinian diaspora
• Arab Christians
• Demographic history of Palestine (region)

References

1. Kårtveit 2014, p. 203: "Since the late Ottoman period, a large number of Palestinians have left their home communities in response to warfare, political oppression and lack of economic opportunities. Due to historical circumstances, emigration has been especially high among Palestinian Christians."
2. Sabella 1998, p. 127, 128: "Christian Arabs emigrate virtually for the same general causes, irrespective of country. Specific causes highlight the course of emigration for individual countries."
3. Sabella 1998, p. 151, 152: "The causes for Palestinian Christian emigration do not include the rise of ‘Islamic fundamentalism’ as a factor. There is no direct effect of this phenomenon on effective Palestinian Christian emigration. Considering the history of good Muslim—Christian relations in Palestine and the fact that Christians are a small numerical segment of the population, not exceeding 3 per cent at the most, there is no reason for alarm over inter-religious relations… While in Egypt some Copts actually emigrate to escape the tense, intercommunal environment, there are no recorded cases in Palestine to indicate a similar trend."
4. Schmitt, Kenny (2020-11-09). "Gazan Christians: Pilgrimage Permits, Migration, and the Exchange of Precarity". Exchange: Journal of Contemporary Christianities in Context. 49 (3–4): 316–338. doi:10.1163/1572543X-12341572. ISSN   0166-2740 . Retrieved 2025-12-29. The Gazan Christians in this study articulated several primary factors that influenced their motives for migration. The most significant motives involved the negative push factors drawing them away from the Strip and centered on the overwhelming precarity of their experience. This precarity was temporal and spatial in that Gazans were subject to a strict blockade; it was economic in that finding work and providing for families became exceptionally chal-lenging; it was political because they could only envision a stalemate between contending political parties, and it was religious because they were concerned about deteriorating Muslim-Christian relations under Hamas' authority. Gazan Christians were also pulled to the West Bank by the precarity of personal factors. They desired stronger social connections with family and friends outside Gaza, and they needed to address the practical problem of finding marriage partners for young people among a dwindling population. The dominant constellation of Christian interviewees' motives for escaping Gaza included the blockade, the economic collapse, the destructions of wars, the lack of consistent electricity and clean drinking water, and the pervasive sense of despair. Every interviewee explained that these factors played a decisive role in the decision to escape.
5. Kårtveit 2014, p. 209: “While local churches and community leaders struggle to keep Christians in Palestine and to keep their communities alive, there is also a struggle over how to interpret these events, and how to tell the story of Christians within the Palestinian community and to the outside world. The proposed congressional resolution mentioned at the start of this book and the local responses it provoked represent two different sides to their story. While the McCaul and Crowley resolution ignored the devastating effects of Israel’s occupation and explained Christian sufferings solely in terms of Muslim hostility and oppression, local organizations often paint a picture of national unity and harmonious relations across sectarian lines. This battle over narratives is fought again and again. The dispute over who is to blame for Christian emigration is part of an Israeli–Palestinian battle for international sympathy, one that also challenges Israel's traditional support among Christian communities in the West.”
6. Nir, Ori (2006-06-23). "Fight Erupts in D.C. Over Plight of Palestinian Christians". The Forward. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
7. Kårtveit 2014, p. 1-2: “The contents of this resolution were met with shock and disbelief within the Christian community of Bethlehem. It turned out that neither community leaders nor church representatives had been consulted on the situation of Christians in Palestine. As a response, Palestinian churches, Christian NGOs and the Municipality of Bethlehem issued their own statements, declaring that this resolution was marred by false accusations and that it ­created a distorted image of a Christian minority disconnected from their own national community. They pointed out that contrary to the McCaul and Crowley resolution, Palestinian Christians have good relations with their Muslim neighbors and that the real aggressor against local Christians is the State of Israel. In particular, the statements stressed that emigration among Palestinian Christians was fueled not by internal persecution, but by ongoing Israeli policies of collective punishments, the continued growth of settlements, the Separation Wall constructed on Palestinian land, and a policy of closures that has devastated the Bethlehem economy and ruined livelihoods.”
8. Kampeas, Ron (2006-10-30). "Palestinian laments Christian plight". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2025-12-30. The response had an effect: By the end of summer, Crowley and McCaul quietly withdrew the resolution.
9. Kårtveit 2014, p. 209-210: “More recently, this was highlighted with the controversy over a report aired on the cbs news program 60 minutes in April 2012. In the months ahead, 60 minutes had prepared a report on the flight of local Christians from the West Bank. Fearing a story that would blame Israel for the hardships of Palestinian Christians, Michael Oren, Israel’s Ambassador to the US, contacted the head of CBS News in an attempt to kill the story. In a bold move, 60 minutes correspondent Bob Simon responded by confronting the Ambassador on air. The report itself contained interviews with several prominent Palestinian Christians, who all related their hardships to the Israeli occupation (Wright 2012). After it was aired, the program ignited protest from political pressure groups and­ individuals in the US, who accused CBS of inciting hatred against Israel. Not surprisingly, the report was well received in the West Bank, where the interviewees were praised for ‘setting the record straight’, and identifying Israeli policies as the primary source of their hardships.”
10. Wright, Robert (2012-04-23). "60 Minutes on the Plight of Palestinian Christians". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2025-12-30.

Bibliography

• Kårtveit, Bård (2014-09-04). Dilemmas of Attachment: Identity and Belonging among Palestinian Christians. BRILL. ISBN   978-90-04-27639-0.
• Sabella, Bernard (1998-09-24). "The Emigration of Christian Arabs: Dimensions and Causes of the Phenomenon". Christian Communities in the Arab Middle East The Challenge of the Future. Oxford University PressOxford. doi:10.1093/oso/9780198293880.003.0007. ISBN   978-0-19-829388-0 . Retrieved 2025-12-26.
• Schouten, Lucy (2020-11-09). "Why Church Leaders Discourage Christians from Leaving Jordan: An Anti-Emigration Perspective". Exchange. 49 (3–4): 339–357. doi:10.1163/1572543X-12341573. ISSN   0166-2740 . Retrieved 2025-12-29.