Christmas Returns to Bethlehem Amid Christian Population Decline, While Nazareth Thrives
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Christmas celebrations have returned to Bethlehem this year after more than two years of disruption, yet the festive spirit contrasts sharply with the city’s ongoing demographic challenges. Bethlehem, revered as the birthplace of Jesus, is witnessing a long-term decline in its Christian population, which has fallen dramatically from 86% in 1950 to roughly 10% today. Meanwhile, Nazareth, where Jesus spent much of his life, is experiencing a robust growth in its Christian community under Israeli governance.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, led Mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, drawing pilgrims and worshippers back to the city’s historic sites. Despite this return to tradition, local Christian leaders and researchers express deep concern about the future of Bethlehem’s Christian residents. Elias Zarina, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy and a longtime Christian activist, highlighted the stark demographic shift. “Christians made up 86% of Bethlehem’s population in 1950,” Zarina said, “but by the 2017 Palestinian census, they accounted for only about 10%.”
Further compounding worries, Zarina noted that since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, at least 142 Christian families have left the Bethlehem area. “They saw what happened on Oct. 7 and understood that minorities in this region have no future without real protection,” he said. This exodus underscores fears that the Christian community in Bethlehem faces existential threats amid political instability and limited protections.
In contrast, Nazareth, located within Israel’s borders, presents a different narrative. Josh Reinstein, director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and president of the Israel Allies Foundation, described Nazareth as a “completely different situation,” marked by growth and prosperity. According to Israeli government data, Nazareth hosts the largest Arab-Christian population in Israel. Reinstein pointed to economic indicators showing that Christian communities in Israel enjoy the highest GDP per capita compared to Jews, Muslims, and Druze.
“Nazareth is an indigenous Christian community under the authority of Israel, and it grows every year,” Reinstein said. “They’re respected, they’re protected, and they have the same rights as everyone else.” This stands in stark contrast to Bethlehem’s trajectory since the 1990s. Reinstein criticized the Palestinian Authority’s role, stating, “Since the Oslo accords in the 90s, the Christian community of Bethlehem has been decimated. Bethlehem was once a city with an overwhelming Christian majority. Today, Christians are around 10% of the population, and they are no longer represented in the municipality. That tells you everything about what has happened there.”
The differing fortunes of these two historic cities reflect broader geopolitical realities in the Holy Land. Bethlehem remains under Palestinian Authority control, where Christians face challenges including emigration and diminished political representation. Nazareth, by contrast, benefits from Israeli governance and protections that have fostered community growth and economic stability.
As Christmas celebrations light up both cities, the contrast between Bethlehem’s dwindling Christian presence and Nazareth’s thriving community underscores the complex and often fragile status of Christians in the region. The return of pilgrims and festivities to Bethlehem offers hope, yet the demographic trends raise urgent questions about the future of Christianity in its birthplace.
For more information on the demographics and protections of religious minorities in the region, see data from the CIA World Factbook, reports by the U.S. Department of State, and insights from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The Israeli government’s statistics on minority populations can be found at the Central Bureau of Statistics.
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