[Today’s Prayer] Palestinian Christian population plummets by up to 90%
A new study suggests that the Christian population in parts of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas-controlled areas has plummeted by up to 90 percent.
According to a study by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA), an Israeli think tank, the Christian population in the Palestinian territories has declined dramatically over the past century. In 1922, they comprised 11% of the geographical Palestinian population, and by 2024, that figure has fallen by nearly 90% to just 1%.
“The Christian population in Gaza has fallen from 5,000 before Hamas took over in 2007 to 1,000 by October 2023. Religious and legal discrimination, desecration of holy sites, and social exclusion are factors driving Christians from their communities,” the report said.
The same is true of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. In 1950, Bethlehem and its surrounding villages were 86% Christian, but according to the last census in 2017, that number had fallen to about 10%.
“Bethlehem’s decline is due to systemic socio-economic hardship, instability, and harassment by both Muslim Palestinians and the Islamist-dominated Palestinian Authority,” the report said, adding that mass Christian emigration “risks its extinction here.”
“Christians feel unprotected because the PA police do not intervene in clashes with Muslims,” said a local Protestant pastor.
Employment discrimination also plays a significant role in the decline of the Christian population. Palestinian Christians report systematic barriers to employment, forcing many to seek opportunities abroad.
According to a 2022 study cited by the JCFA, the number of Christians in Gaza who wanted to emigrate was twice that of Muslims. This economic and social deprivation has led to a sharp decline in the Christian community, especially under Hamas rule.
The report also warns that discrimination within the local courts makes it difficult for Christians to obtain justice for crime victims. Legal remedies are lacking. Christian women are particularly vulnerable, facing significant prejudice and obstacles when seeking protection or justice.
Religious coercion also contributes to the decline. Christians in the West Bank and Gaza are often harassed for practicing their faith. Church desecrations, such as the destruction of the Maronite church in Bethlehem in 2019, are not uncommon. Converts from Islam to Christianity face intense pressure and intimidation, especially in Gaza, where the Christian faith is subject to extreme secrecy.
Economic instability under Hamas has placed a greater burden on Gaza’s Christian community. “Since Hamas came to power in 2007, Christians have endured increased violence and discrimination, leading to significant population declines,” the report said. “The combination of economic hardship, security concerns and religious persecution has made life unsustainable for many Christians, triggering mass exodus.”
Source: News
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelations 20:4-6)
God, who made the heavens and earth and created us, we hear the heartbreaking news that the Christian population in Palestine has plummeted by 90%.
In the region, especially in Gaza, where Christians suffer from religious and legal discrimination, desecration of holy sites, and social exclusion, and in Bethlehem, where many have left due to systematic harassment and economic hardship.
We pray for the restoration of broken churches and hearts in Gaza under Hamas rule, and in Bethlehem and other parts of Palestine. We ask that You remember the suffering of the Palestinian people and grant them strength and comfort to overcome their difficulties.
Lord, defend the faith of Christians who remain in the midst of religious persecution and social exclusion. Comfort the Christians of Gaza in the face of employment discrimination, lack of legal recourse, and economic hardship. Grant that they may keep the faith to the end, trusting in Jesus Christ our Lord, to help and save them.
Lord. You have made those who were beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God to share in the first resurrection, calling them blessed and holy. Grant us the strength to keep the faith to the end among those who are suffering, so that we may be the Palestinian people, blessed and holy and praised by our Lord.
Allow the Church to be victorious from the suffering till the end, just like how our Lord overcame the suffering, and was glorified. So that no power of death may have dominion over them. Allow the souls of the land of Palestine, who have not yet heard the Gospel, to be made holy priests through the Palestinian Church, so that all nations turn to You.
Lord, let the Gospel be the life and strength of the Palestinian people in the midst of the pain and sorrow of war.
May Your grace be not only in Palestine, but also in Israel, who is suffering from war.
Please allow the remaining Christians in Palestine and the Land of Israel to take the gospel to the Muslims and Jews who are dying in the war.
So that the vision of a last generation of disciples rising up for Jesus Christ and the Gospel among Israel and Palestine may be fulfilled!
May they be raised up as a holy priesthood of the nations, going forth among the nations with the gospel and leading them to the Lord of all nations!
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