Palestinian Christians Exodus from West Bank Amid Economic and Security Hardships

Palestinian Christians, who describe themselves as “living stones” and have inhabited the Holy Land for two millennia, are leaving the West Bank in growing numbers. Reverend Mitri Raheb, founder and president of Dar Al‑Kalima University in Bethlehem, warned that “if the current conditions continue, there will not be a single Palestinian Christian left by 2050.”

Since the Gaza war began three years ago, daily attacks by Israeli settlers and expanded Israeli military checkpoints have crippled the West Bank’s economy. Between 40,000 and 45,000 Christians now remain – just over one percent of the population, down from about six percent in 1967. Young entrepreneurs such as 31‑year‑old Issa Qassis say they are “frustrated and hopeless,” contemplating emigration to the United States because jobs are scarce and movement is restricted.

Palestinian foreign minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, an Armenian Christian, noted that Christians can emigrate more easily than Muslims due to family ties abroad and urged “very strong action to ensure Christian” communities are protected, calling the decline an “alarm bell for the Christian world.”