Christian population still dropping in Israel, Palestinian territories

April 12, 2013

Christians make up only 1% of the population in the Palestinian territories today, down from 2% in 2000, the Fides news service reports.

In the city of Jerusalem there are only about 5,000 Christians remaining, reports Hanna Issa the secretary-general of a Islamic-Christian Committee for the protection of Jerusalem and the Holy Places. There were 27,000 Christians in Jerusalem in 1948.

Issa terms the disappearance of the Christian population as a “social disaster.” The steady emigration of Christians has left only about 155,000 Christians in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

 

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Further information:

• The percentage of Christians in the Palestinian territories has halved over the last 13 years (Fides)