Concerns Expressed over Christian Emigration from the Holy Land
Episcopal News Service. August 7, 1990 [90202Q]
Christian leaders in Palestine have appealed to Western churches for help in stemming Christian emigration from the Holy Land. Their concerns were presented during a three-day "Christians in the Holy Land" conference held in Bethlehem in July. Polls have indicated that Christian emigration has doubled over the last few years, largely as a result of the daily violence between Israelis and Palestinians in East Jerusalem and other parts of the occupied territories. Dwindling job opportunities and the fear of large-scale Soviet Jewish immigration have also been contributing factors in the Christian exodus, the polls have shown. Church leaders attending the conference voiced fears that the trend threatens the viability of an active Christian presence in the Holy Land.