By: Anan Shahadeh
BETHLEHEM, September 25, 2026 (WAFA) – Christians in Bethlehem have refuted claims made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he claimed that Christian emigration from the city of Bethlehem has increased since the Palestinian National Authority assumed responsibility.
The mayor of Bethlehem Hanna Hanania told WAFA that Netanyahu’s remarks are lies and fabrications meant to create confusion and disrupt Palestinian unity. He constantly uses the same tactics, but these allegations resonate with no one in our society.
Hanania stressed that the Israeli occupation is the sole and primary driver of Christian emigration. He noted that Bethlehem is surrounded by 27 colonial settlements, while ongoing land confiscations and restrictions imposed through dozens of military checkpoints severely stifle the movement of citizens and restrict access to the city.
“The Palestinian National Authority has always supported the Christian presence, which is an essential component of the social fabric,” he said. “The greatest proof of this is that the Bethlehem Municipal Council consists of 15 members, eight of whom were ensured by former President Yasser Arafat and later President Mahmoud Abbas to be Christians, with both the mayor and deputy mayor being Christians. This demonstrates the preservation of the Palestinian Arab Christian identity and the importance of the Christian presence.”
He continued, stating that the Zionist movement has historically attempted to transform the conflict from a national one into a religious dispute in an effort to marginalize the Christian component and exclude it from the broader fabric of the Palestinian people. Speaking both as a Palestinian and as mayor, Hanania strongly condemned Netanyahu’s false statements.
For his part, researcher, historian, and Director of the Palestinian Center for Studies and Dialogue of Civilizations, Walid al-Shomali, stated: "What Netanyahu said is entirely false. The Christian population in Bethlehem was estimated at 85% before the 1967 occupation, but due to the subsequent military occupation and political circumstances, it dropped to approximately 46%. Therefore, his claims regarding Christian emigration are completely unfounded; this emigration is a direct consequence of the hardships and closures enforced by the occupation authorities."
He added: “Most Christians belong to the middle class, and because of the occupation, their horizons have narrowed, particularly for young people. Here, a distinction must be made between the percentage of Christians in Bethlehem city and in the governorate as a whole, because Netanyahu is manipulating these percentages.”
Al-Shomali pointed out that emigration can never be reduced to a religious factor, asking: "Otherwise, how can we explain the Christian presence alongside their Muslim brothers and sisters for 14 centuries?" He stressed that it serves the occupation's interests to transform the conflict from a national one into a religious dispute, which misleads Christians into believing they have no place in the struggle, thereby deepening their sense of alienation.
He explained that the occupation’s political and economic restrictions affect Muslims and Christians alike and that attacks target both communities, citing as evidence the colonists’ attack on the Christian village of al-Taybeh. Accordingly, he said, the problem lies in the fact that the emigration of one Christian family has an impact and leaves a void equivalent to that caused by the emigration of dozens of Muslim families.
Al-Shomali said many Muslims, as well as officials in the Palestinian National Authority, are keen to preserve the Christian presence, adding that this requires continually raising public awareness through school curricula, the media and seminars that highlight the importance of the indigenous Christian presence in Palestine and confront the Zionist narrative.
Meanwhile, Reverend Dr. Mitri Raheb, President of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, stressed that Netanyahu’s address consisted of “propaganda, slander, and lies.” He pointed out that the Christian presence in Palestine during the 20th century stood at 11%, according to statistics, and exceeded 8% just prior to the 1948 Nakba—which displaced and uprooted Christians—before subsequently falling to 2.8%.
Raheb added that the 1967 occupation acted as "an unceasing hemorrhage" and that displacement has continued ever since, culminating in the genocide in the Gaza Strip, where the Christian population has dwindled to around 500.
He also pointed to an ongoing displacement project in the West Bank, where harsh occupation measures targeting citizens' daily lives have severely exacerbated Christian emigration.
He emphasized that Israel bears sole responsibility for these policies, which have driven the overall Christian population down to 1.9%.
“Bethlehem is being targeted, as it is surrounded by colonies that have seized 86% of its land, and 50% of Christians are present in Bethlehem,” he said. “This has led to forced displacement and a silent genocide.”
He added that what drives emigration is that Bethlehem is the smallest governorate, yet the occupation forces have erected 54 gates at its entrances. He said this in itself constitutes a forced displacement project, compounded by the occupation’s efforts to sever Bethlehem from its religious and historical twin city, Jerusalem. All of these factors, he said, have contributed to the decline in the Christian population; therefore, what Netanyahu claimed in his speech is an outright lie.
He added: “What has driven emigration is that Bethlehem is the smallest governorate, and the occupation forces have established 54 gates at its entrances. This in itself constitutes a project of forced displacement, as part of an effort to separate it from its religious and historical twin, the city of Jerusalem. All of this has led to a decline in the percentage of Christians, and therefore what Netanyahu said in his address is a lie.”
He continued: “Look at what is happening in Jerusalem, where the occupation has violated the sanctity of churches and assaulted nuns. We must also reflect on the words of US Senator Chris Van Hollen, who stated that Netanyahu is a serial liar and a war criminal.”
For his part, Anton Salman, Deputy Secretary of the Fatah Revolutionary Council and former Mayor of Bethlehem, stated: "Israel is attempting to exploit the Christian card against the National Authority. What is happening in the Palestinian territories is clear to the world: a criminal, racist policy is being perpetrated against Palestinians. Everything from the denial of freedom of movement, travel, work, and tourism, to the collapse of the economy and other factors, has collectively driven emigration."
He added that the occupation authorities are responsible for isolating Bethlehem's northern area and confiscating more than 10,000 dunams of land, noting that Christians, just like Muslims, are denied their religious freedom due to arbitrary occupation measures. Salman emphasized that Israel must abandon the concept of a Jewish state and cease its attacks on churches so that the Christian presence can grow.
Ramzi Khoury, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Head of the Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, said Netanyahu’s claims contradict the reality experienced by Palestinian Christians, because the Israeli occupation and its arbitrary measures are the main reason for the declining number of Christians, amid continued violations against churches, monasteries, holy sites, lands and Christian institutions.
He added that the attacks extend across various parts of the Palestinian territories, from Jerusalem to al-Taybeh, Birzeit, Ein Arik, and the Bethlehem Governorate. These violations include the seizure of land and property, the imposition of taxes and restrictions on church institutions, and the denial of freedom of worship and access to holy sites, alongside targeted harassment of Christian educational institutions, their curricula, and their staff.
He stressed that recent assaults on the Church of St. John the Baptist in Haifa and the Armenian Monastery, alongside repeated targeting of churches and monasteries across the West Bank—including Jerusalem—clearly demonstrate the expanding scope of these violations.
Khoury stressed that these incidents are not a series of isolated occurrences, but rather part of a systematic and ongoing pattern of violations. He noted that these actions directly threaten freedom of worship and education, land ownership, the continuity of Christian institutions, and the fundamental right of Palestinian Christians to remain in their homeland.
He explained that protecting the Christian presence cannot be achieved through mere speeches, but instead requires a definitive halt to attacks, colonial settlement expansion, land seizures, and forced displacement.
Khoury emphasized that these actions must be accompanied by concrete guarantees for freedom of worship, unhindered access to holy sites, and the absolute protection of churches, monasteries, and Christian institutions.
Khoury concluded by affirming that Palestinian Christians remain deeply rooted in their land, churches, and holy sites, and will steadfastly continue their mission in the land of Christ.
T.R.
