Islamic militants in which several Christians died, BosNewsLife News Center monitored Saturday, September 10.
The telegraph.co.uk website, part of the group that publishes the UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, said Christians have presented a dossier of 93 alleged incidents of abuse by an "Islamic fundamentalist mafia" against Palestinian Christians.
The dossier currently in Church hands details allegations of violence, including the torture and murder of two Christian girls in 2003 after they were deemed prostitutes. A post mortem examination reportedly proved they were virgins.
It also includes a list of 140 cases of apparent land theft, in which Christians in the West Bank were allegedly forced off their land by gangs backed by corrupt judicial officials with the PA refusing to intervene, the website reported.
The PA has not yet reacted to the allegations.
CHRIST’S BIRTHPLACE
"From the birthplace of Christ at Bethlehem to the site of his Crucifixion in Jerusalem, Christian Church leaders have long been desperate not to upset the delicate ethnic and sectarian balance in the region by blaming either Jews or Muslims for the decline of their once robust religious community," telegraph.co.uk said.
That self-imposed silence now appears to be crumbling.
"The problem exists," Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Jerusalem’s senior Franciscan, known as the Custos of the Holy Land, was quoted as saying. "The Christian community has always suffered in the last few years because we are a minority. Many have the temptation to leave, so the community is shrinking."
While he stressed that "we are not talking about a confrontation with all Muslims", he added that "we don’t want to see violations of the law – sometimes we have to raise our voices".
MODERATE THREATENED
Several Christians reportedly recalled a moderate Muslim imam in Bethlehem’s biggest mosque, was repeatedly threatened after giving a sermon calling for an end to the anti-Christian discrimination and land grabs.
Last weekend, the Christian village of Taybeh was ransacked and burned by a Muslim mob, incensed that a boy there had been seeing a girl from their neighboring village of Deir Jarir, telegraph.co.uk said.
Christians in the region have said they are pessimistic about their future as they now form about two per cent of the population of the Holy Land, down from almost 20 per
cent 60 years ago.
A low birth rate, and reported intimidation and emigration were expected to lead to a further decline. Several Christian organizations, including International Christian Embassy Jerusalem ICEJ), have urged churches to remain involved in Israel. Thousands of Christians travel every year to express their support for Israel and the region. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from Israel).
