Christmas celebrations returned this year to both Bethlehem and Nazareth, but the season is unfolding very differently in the two cities that sit at the heart of Christianity \u2014 Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, and Nazareth, where he lived.<\/p>\n
In Nazareth, festivities are broad and confident, rooted in a growing Christian presence in Israel. In Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, celebrations took place again<\/a> after more than two years of disruption, but against the backdrop of a long-term demographic decline and deep concern within the local Christian community.<\/p>\n Elias Zarina, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy and a longtime Christian activist, said the long-term numbers underscore the concern. Christians made up 86% of Bethlehem\u2019s population in 1950, Zarina said. By the last Palestinian census in 2017, they accounted for roughly 10%. He added that since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, at least 142 Christian families have left the Bethlehem area.<\/p>\n TRUMP HOLDS KEY TO SAVING SYRIA\u2019S VANISHING CHRISTIANS IN CRUCIAL WHITE HOUSE MEETING<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThey saw what happened on Oct. 7 and understood that minorities in this region have no future without real protection,\u201d Zarina said.<\/p>\n In Nazareth, Josh Reinstein, director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and president of the Israel Allies Foundation, described a sharply different reality, which he said reflects governance and security<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNazareth is a completely different situation,\u201d Reinstein said. \u201cIt\u2019s an indigenous Christian community under the authority of Israel<\/a>, and it grows every year. It prospers.\u201d<\/p>\n Reinstein pointed to economic and social indicators to make his case, noting that while Christians make up for around 2% of Israel\u2019s population, \u201cChristian communities have the highest GDP per capita compared to Jews, Muslims and Druze,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re respected, they\u2019re protected, and they have the same rights as everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n Reinstein contrasted that with Bethlehem\u2019s trajectory since the 1990s.<\/p>\n \u201cSince the Oslo accords in the 90s, the Christian community of Bethlehem has been decimated by the Palestinian Authority,\u201d Reinstein told Fox News Digital. \u201cBethlehem 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.\u201d<\/p>\n TRUMP\u2019S WARNING TO NIGERIA OFFERS HOPE TO NATION\u2019S PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS<\/a><\/p>\n Bethlehem did mark Christmas<\/a> this year. Crowds gathered in Manger Square, the Christmas tree was lit and religious ceremonies took place at the Church of the Nativity. Local officials framed the celebrations as a sign of resilience and an effort to project normalcy after years of war and economic collapse.<\/p>\n Zarina, however, said the Palestinian Authority\u2019s decision to allow Christmas events this year should be viewed in context.<\/p>\n \u201cIn recent months, the Palestinian Authority has sought to reintroduce itself to international public opinion, particularly to the Christian world, through symbolic festive displays such as the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Bethlehem,\u201d Zarina said in comments provided to Fox News Digital. \u201cThese efforts are meant to market the Palestinian Authority as moderate, especially as discussions continue about Gaza\u2019s future. But events on the ground over just a few days have sharply contradicted that image.\u201d<\/p>\n Zarina noted that several incidents targeting Christians occurred within a single week ahead of Christmas, including threats against churches and violent assaults tied to land disputes.<\/p>\n \u201cChristians in these areas are subjected to a systematic policy manifested through harassment, violence, psychological terror<\/a>, forced displacement and the confiscation of property by extremist families driven by rigid Salafi ideology and supported morally and financially by states known for backing extremist movements, foremost among them Turkey and Qatar,\u201d he claimed. \u201cIn this context, the Palestinian Authority appears either unable or unwilling to enforce the rule of law and protect the Christian minority.\u201d<\/p>\n Recent incidents in the Palestinian Authority area of control have reinforced those concerns. A church in Jenin was firebombed earlier this week and a Christmas tree was set on fire outside another church. Israel\u2019s Foreign Ministry responded by warning of \u201cgrowing hostility toward Christians\u201d under Palestinian Authority governance.<\/p>\n DISPUTE OVER CHRISTIAN GROUPS\u2019 VISAS TO ISRAEL RESOLVED AFTER HUCKABEE THREAT<\/a><\/p>\n