Hate crimes are driving the drastic decline of indigenous Christians
Based on tolerance and community, Christianity has long held a central role in the Holy Land, with today’s Christians keen to see a pluralistic, sustainable society for all.
However the numbers of Christians in Jerusalem in particular have dwindled to a level bordering on extinction – a real possibility within a generation.
“At this rate of decline within a generation there will be no Christian communities left in the Holy land”
A small but vehemently committed group of radicals – ideologically at the intersection between ultranationalist racism and religious zealotism- are forcing families from their homes, desecrating religious sites and disrupting businesses. Today it is estimated that Christians are less than 1% of Jerusalem’s population – a decline from 11% in the middle of the last century.
Radicalised individuals are using a number of tactics to drive Christians from the Holy Land – ranging from blatant and belligerent to underhand intimidation and manipulation in the shadows.
Manoeuvres to seize property
Property ownership gives a community a foothold in an area – a place for families and businesses to take root and thrive. Through their relentless underhanded dealings that lead to lengthy legal challenges to property rights, radicalised factions are seeking to dislodge Christian communities. The most high profile of these cases is the disputed sale of properties at the Jaffa Gate, the entrance to the Christian Quarter.
Intimidation, violence and hate crimes
Christians in Jerusalem suffer intermittent violence and intimidation. Worshippers attempting to reach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre may sometimes be subject to verbal and physical abuse from radicalised individuals. Elsewhere in the city, some Churches are subjected to appalling acts of Blasphemy and abuse, such as individuals spitting on the Cross or verbal attacks around the holy site.
Arson and desecration of religious sites
Recent years have seen the desecration and vandalism of an unprecedented number of churches and holy sites. Along with growing numbers of reports from priests and local worshippers who have been assaulted and attacked. In 2020 the Church of All Nations at the Garden of Gethsemane was badly damaged in an arson attack. The problem is compounded because there is also a lack of apparent deterrent for these incidents. To date there has been no reports of any prosecutions that match the magnitude of the violations.
Local governance and its effects
Aspects of local government discriminate against the Christian community. In Jerusalem there is no Christian representation on the municipal council. A recent decision around taxation – council tax in particular – tended to work against Churches, and had threatened to bankrupt them.
Resources
Churches in Jerusalem oppose municipal tax decision
Heads of churches say Israeli government is demanding they pay property tax, upsetting status quo
Churches protest Israel’s demand they pay property tax, say it’s undoing status quo
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The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Condemn the Bombing of Gaza’s Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church and Other Humanitarian Institutions
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THE PATRIARCHS AND HEADS OF CHURCHES IN JERUSALEM UNITE IN A CALL FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE AMIDST UNFOLDING VIOLENCE
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Christians in Jerusalem face escalating threat of assault and harassment
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Israeli Reporter Goes Undercover as Priest – and Gets Spat At
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In Jerusalem’s contested Old City, shrinking Armenian community fears displacement after land deal
Israeli curbs on Orthodox Church crowds in Jerusalem for Easter draw ire
Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the incursion into a property owned by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the desecration of a Chapel there by members of a Jewish seminary
Christians celebrate Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem after row with Israeli police… many pilgrims who arrived hours ahead of the ceremony were not permitted by police to enter the church
‘The Holy Land is turning into Disneyland’: Christians are being driven out of Jerusalem by hate crimes and economic hardship which will leave the site nothing more than a ‘tourist theme park’
Greek Orthodox Church leaders on Tuesday denounced what they called the “illegal” takeover by Israeli “extremists” of a Jerusalem hostel operated by Palestinians.
This campaign has been convened by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, along with the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, with the aim to halting the decline of Christian communities in the Holy Land.