by Dario Salvi

This is what emerges from a study by the Centre for Education and Dialogue, which denounces the increase in attacks by extremists and ultra-religious Jewish groups. The socio-political conditions and the low birth rate make the future of Christians in the country uncertain. The appeal for the ‘involvement’ of the Churches in the world. Hana Bendkowsky: ‘The attackers must be brought to justice’.

Milan (AsiaNews) - One in three Christians in Israel wants to emigrate (almost 50% of those under 30), in an escalation of attacks against the minority by Jewish extremist groups or movements linked to the settlers, and a widespread perception (almost 40%) of discrimination by state actors. A picture of unease and criticality emerges from a research study carried out by activists from the Rossing Center and published in recent days.

Commenting on the results, the authors (click here for the video) speak of the Christian community's ‘growing concerns’ about the ‘perceived erosion of the symbolic and physical spaces’ of the lands where Jesus was born and which ‘they have inhabited for millennia’.

This alarm that is raised often goes unheard and requires ‘a broader commitment from the international community’ is needed so that it can have a ‘substantial impact’ on the Israeli authorities; for this reason, they observe, also in consideration of the conflict in Gaza and the growing radicalisation, ‘greater involvement is needed from Churches around the world, diplomats and humanitarian NGOs’.

Emigration and Birth Rate

One of the issues of greatest concern for the future is that of the exodus, the growing desire to migrate that affects a large part of the Middle East, including the communities of the Holy Land. A ‘significant’ portion of the people interviewed in the report (36%) say they ‘consider’ the possibility of leaving their homeland; this desire is less widespread in East Jerusalem (only 16%), while it affects almost half of those in Haifa (48%).

Among the factors that most influence the decision are security (44%) and the socio-political situation (33%), also in consideration of the war in the Strip that has been going on since 7 October 2023, which fuels concerns. At a geographical level there are some differences, although not so marked: in East Jerusalem socio-political concerns dominate (81%), while security is a lesser factor (19%). In central Israel socio-political concerns stand at 45%, while security concerns reach 27%.

Family ties (52%) and religious ties to the land (24%) are decisive in the commitment to remain. In East Jerusalem, 39% cite a religious connection to the land, while 37% emphasise community ties. In the centre the motivations are more varied, with family ties appearing less significant (30%), while a significant proportion (24%) mention the not insignificant challenge of ‘starting over in another country’ as one of the reasons for staying.

The interviewees indicated the protection of land and church property (26%), the provision of housing (24%) and the offer of work (22%) as the most effective actions that churches can undertake for Palestinian Christians. Furthermore, the issue of migration is accompanied by the no less important issue of the low birth rate among Christians, who have the lowest birth rate of all the ethnic-religious communities in the Holy Land, contributing to endangering their very future. Hussam Elias, project director of the Rossing Centre, reports that ‘no changes in the fertility rate of Christian women can be seen’ and this aspect ‘combines with other factors’ including ‘political and religious extremism’ resulting in a push towards marginalisation.

‘This,’ he adds, ‘leads Christians to leave the country’. Furthermore, Christian schools, which are among the best, guarantee an excellent education, which facilitates the decision to leave. Finally, Christians ‘feel part of the world and think - he concludes - that it is easier to integrate into the West and this could perhaps encourage migration, but this remains a supposition that could become the subject of a future study’.

Violence: beyond the numbers

The research of the Rossing Centre for Education and Dialogue, an inter-religious organisation based in Jerusalem that aims to promote an inclusive society for all religious, ethnic and national groups, examines Palestinian and Arab Christians in Israel and East Jerusalem. This study provides an ‘inside’ view of the perception and attitudes of the Christian and Arab communities in Israel and East Jerusalem regarding: religious freedom, their relationship with the Israeli Jewish majority, the role of the state and the churches, and identity and the issue of migration, which is more relevant than ever.

Conducted in collaboration with the ‘Statnet’ research institute in December 2024, it includes a sample of 300 respondents selected by geographical distribution (Haifa, East Jerusalem, Galilee and central Israel), age, gender and religious denomination, who answered 29 telephone questions in Arabic.

Last year saw an increase in attacks against Christians, with at least 111 confirmed episodes of violence against the minority compared to 89 in 2023. Specifically, there were 46 physical attacks, 35 against church property and 13 cases of harassment. Most of the perpetrators seem to belong to the ultra-orthodox and national-religious communities, the victims are members of the clergy or wear visible Christian symbols.

‘The numbers - emphasises Hana Bendcowsky, programme manager for the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations and a leading figure at the Rossing Centre - are only the tip of the iceberg’. ‘Compared to the previous year,’ she continues, ’there has been growth, but it will take five or ten to understand. One of the factors is the political situation that influences the condition of Christians, where extremism and polarisation of society lead to less interest in minorities, combined with greater aggression.’

Highs and lows

According to the latest data from December 2024 released by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, as of 31 December 2024 the population is estimated at 10.027 million residents. Of these, 7.707 million (76.9%) are Jewish, 2.104 million (21%) are Arab and 0.216 million (2.1%) are classified as other, including foreign residents. There are 180,300 Christians living in Israel (about 1.8% of the population, with a growth of 0.6% by 2023), 78.8% of whom are Arabs, constituting 6.9% of the total Arab population of Israel.

‘On the one hand, there is more fear of reacting to the violence due to less coverage of the incidents against Christians, which the leaders of the Jewish state very rarely comment on,’ Hana Bendcowsky explains. Moreover, the perpetrators of the attacks ’mostly come from an extremist religious background. On the other hand - she continues - members of the various Churches share information more, report incidents more frequently and have established greater collaboration with us’.

The most frequent cases involve spitting and threats against Christians, even during religious ceremonies or pilgrimages, while those targeted are mainly foreigners or those wearing characteristic symbols of the faith, such as crosses.

Hence the request for a greater commitment from the international community for a ‘more substantial impact’ on the Israeli authorities, while encouraging Churches, humanitarian NGOs, communities and diplomats ‘to actively address the issue. It is essential - the study states - to treat episodes of aggression with the utmost seriousness, to issue condemnations and to ensure that the aggressors are brought to justice’.

Regarding the relationship with the authorities, Bendcowsky explains that the Church reports a ‘lack of dialogue or poor understanding of needs: there is dialogue at the base, but little listening’. On the other hand, there are also positive elements: ‘Municipal officials have shown support for our work, and relations with the police have improved, and they have started to denounce and arrest those who attack Christians [especially by spitting]’.

One last thought is dedicated to the Christian Easter and the Passover [Pesach, the Jewish Easter] that this year fall in the same period: ‘There is fear of incidents - the activist concludes - for this reason we must keep our eyes open. Hope for the future? That no more reports are needed, because there are no incidents to report’.