From the desk of the Tar Heel disciple:
May 15, 2026 (#99)
Challenges for Arab Christians in the Holy Land
In a previous post, we briefly explored the loss of much of the indigenous Christian presence in the Holy Land over the course of the last century or more. This decline continues in our day with alarming rapidity. It is estimated that there are approximately 45,000 Arab Christians in the occupied West Bank (including East Jerusalem), and, possibly, only 3,000 remaining in the Gaza territory. These numbers represent the faithful belonging to the Catholic (including the Latin, Melkite, Maronite, etc., rites), Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox Churches, as well as the various Protestant denominations and ecclesial communities. Many of these Christians believe that they are descended from the first generation of Christian believers.
There has been significant media attention to the plight of the citizens of Taybeh, considered to be the last remaining Christian-majority town in the West Bank. It lies only 9.3 miles northeast of Jerusalem. In 2010 the mayor of the town reported that the population of the town was only 2,300. By that time, already more than 12,000 residents had emigrated. In 2005, it was reported that hundreds of Muslim men had attacked the town in response to the news that a local Christian man was dating a Muslim girl from a nearby village. And in 2013 Jewish settlers from nearby illegal outposts began a series of attacks on the village. On June 25, 2025, during one of these raids, at least three Palestinians were killed, either by the raiding settlers themselves or by Israeli Defense Forces, numerous homes and vehicles were destroyed by fire, and groves of olive trees on which the local population relied for income were damaged. These and other attacks have occurred at several other Palestinian villages, with little or no legal repercussions by Israeli authorities.
In addition to increased attacks, during these recent years of warfare, Palestinian Christians and others who previously worked in Jerusalem and Israel have been denied access to their places of employment and are currently confined to the West Bank and Gaza. And with the much-diminished number of pilgrims and tourists in the current political climate, the Palestinian population is experiencing much economic distress. Further pressure has been experienced by the Churches themselves, which have increasingly complained of land encroachments and excessive tax burdens placed on them by Israeli authorities.
It would be a tragic loss if the Holy Land lost the living witness of the Christian Arab community, which has given witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their native lands for nearly two millennia.
Read the New Release on this subject The Priest Who Stayed in Gaza shipping May 19th 2026
