Christians in the West Bank

 Christians in the West Bank number approximately 35,000 out of a population of one million Muslims in the West Bank and Gaza. Their number is diminishing due to the scarcity of opportunities to make a living, not to mention the life-threatening situations to which they are constantly exposed.

The influence of Hamas is unquestionably the strongest one in this area. Christians are under permanent pressure to show their solidarity with this organization or with other similar Muslim organizations. Disobedience endangers life.

The largest single group of Christians in the West Bank are Greek Orthodox, who have a relatively high degree of self-esteem due to their long established roots in the area. Protestant Arab Christians, however, have a relatively low self-esteem and are viewed with suspicion by the Greek Orthodox Church from which most of them deserted in the last hundred years to join Protestant denominations.

These Protestant Christians are in the greatest danger of being absorbed by the Muslim threat to their existence, since they want to be recognized as loyal to the Muslim ruling group of their region. Furthermore, their respective overseas Protestant church leaders, who often provide financial help, are in most cases very friendly with the Muslim regimes and regard their Arab Christian brothers and sister as only too fortunate to have the opportunity of living in close proximity with the allegedly friendly Muslim rulers. Therefore, a Christian from the West Bank does not dare to speak up about the atrocities against Christian churches, schools, women, graveyards, monasteries, feasts and most of the aspects of daily life. This "dhimmi"1 attitude is not only present in many Christians who have to suffer in the situation itself, but unfortunately is sometimes even more strongly present in their Church leaders abroad.

The only way out for those Arab Christians who do not support the political line and cannot bear the vicious circle is silent emigration to the USA, northern Europe or Australia. This does not exclude the present Arab Protestant Church leadership which acquiesces in the current unfortunate situation. Both the present bishops (Anglican and Lutheran), who support the Muslim political line in the West Bank, have announced their intention of retiring to their respective children in the USA.

1"Dhimmi" is the Islamic term for certain non-Muslim minorities such as Christians and Jews Literally meaning "protected", it carries connotations of inferiority and subjugation.