What Is It Like to Be a Palestinian Christian?

Last week, when Israeli tanks ringed the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Christians around the world were suddenly prompted to ask: What is the role of Palestinian Christians in this conflict?

Palestinian Christians comprise less than 10% of the population of the Holy Land, down from 35% a decade ago. Many experts believe Palestinian Christians could largely disappear in the Holy Land within a generation. They are leaving because of war, job opportunities elsewhere, and the growing population of fundamentalist Muslims.

Christians in the Palestinian territory are in an odd position. Israelis hold them at arm's length because they're Palestinian. Yet Muslims don't embrace them fully because they're Christian.

Palestinian Christians themselves are ambivalent about both groups. Palestinian Muslims have alienated them by Islamicizing the territory, building mosques next to churches, breeding fundamentalist Islam, and generally ignoring the desires of Christians. At the same time, Palestinian Christians are enraged at the Israelis, particularly in the last week, for their treatment of Palestinian Muslims.

On Tuesday, Israeli tanks ringed the church built on the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born, while troops manned surrounding lookouts. About 200 Palestinian fighters have taken over the church, along with around 30 Franciscan priests and a handful of civilians. Pope John Paul II has prayed for peace in the Vatican's St. Peter's Square and said how close he felt to the priests who are "living through difficult hours in the Church of the Nativity."

Over the years, groups such as the National Council of Churches of Christ have visited Christians in the Holy Land and expressed outrage at their plight. Last summer, 18 mainline Protestant and Eastern Orthodox church leaders sent a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell, asking him to work harder for peace. They wrote: "We are extremely worried about our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters. Facing daily threats from violence and economic deprivation and lacking hope for peace and a viable Palestinian state, many feel the pressure to emigrate. The demise of the living Christian community from the birthplace of the Christian religion would certainly be an irreparable tragedy for the Middle East and the Christian community internationally." But at the time, few people were listening.

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