RAMALLAH, September 26, 2025 (WAFA) – Reverend Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Ramallah and board member of the Palestinian Christian initiative Kairos Palestine, said on Friday that Israeli apartheid policies are the main cause behind the displacement of Palestinian Christians.

He explained that, in addition to land confiscations, the expansion of settlements, and the construction of the separation wall, Israeli practices such as military checkpoints and restrictions on movement have created unbearable living conditions for Christians, similar to those faced by all Palestinians targeted by displacement.

Responding to claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the Christian presence in Bethlehem, Isaac said the occupation has seized most of Bethlehem’s lands that belong to Palestinian Christian families. “Israel is working to uproot us family by family, just like the rest of the Palestinian people facing forced displacement,” he stated.

He noted that Bethlehem has become isolated from occupied Jerusalem for the first time in its history due to checkpoints and the wall, preventing Christians from accessing the city.

Isaac added that it is not new for the Zionist movement to claim it protects Christians, pointing out that such narratives are widely recognized as propaganda, while churches worldwide are increasingly taking positions against the occupation.

He also said that the decline in the percentage of Christians in Bethlehem is linked to internal migration, as the city has received residents from nearby towns and villages, largely as a result of the fragmentation policies enforced by the occupation through checkpoints and iron gates.

M.N