Palestinian christians : silent victims of a zero-sum game?

Abstract

In November 2002, the Vatican offered $400,000 to the Palestinian Christian community to improve their lives and convince them to stay in their ancestral residences. This unusual offer was provoked by a massive wave of emigration from formerly Christian-dominated areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, endangering the very future of Christianity in the Holy Land. This article, the product of six years of research, including numerous interviews with members of various Christian denominations, evaluates the human rights conditions of the Christian minority living under the Palestinian Authority. Contrary to international law, Palestinian Christians are subject to systematic abuses of human rights, including theft of real property, rape, attacks by PA police officials, and arbitrary imprisonment and torture. By examining the context surrounding the persecution of Christians, including explanations, denials, and the phenomena of Christian fear and self-blame, the author attempts to shed light on the striking silence surrounding the plight of this endangered community.