"The occupation, not the Palestinian Authority, harms Christians in Palestine." This statement comes from a delegation of Christian Church leaders in the Holy Land—including Latin Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Attallah Hanna, and Lutheran Bishop Emeritus of the Holy Land Munib Younan—disputing Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's remarks at the UN.

"The reason Christians and many others are leaving Bethlehem is the Israeli occupation and its policies of closures, permits, exclusive residency rights, etc., and not the policies of the Palestinian Authority," Christian leaders say.

In their document, they point to "a falsehood" that specifically concerns Christians in Palestine, where Netanyahu stated: "When Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, was under Israeli control, 80% of its residents were Christians. But since the PA took control, that number has dropped to less than 20%."

Netanyahu, the ecumenical leaders continue: "He does not speak on behalf of Palestinian Christians and cannot be allowed to distort the truth. Bethlehem was a predominantly Christian city until 1948: then, more than 80% of the population was Christian. With the expulsion of approximately 750,000 Palestinian refugees from their homeland in historic Palestine during the Nakba of 1948, three refugee camps were established in Bethlehem, thus changing the city's demographic composition. When Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, Bethlehem had a majority Muslim population."

According to the signatories of the document, "decades of Israeli occupation, resulting in harsh living conditions, have led to the emigration of many Christians and Muslims, and this reality continues today. Bethlehem, a city dependent on tourism, has suffered particularly in the last two years of Israel's war in Gaza, with the almost complete halt of tourism and pilgrimages. Hundreds of people have left Bethlehem in recent months due to the continuing devastation of the Israeli occupation and military violence."

(Unioneonline)