Take a Stand Campaign
Where do Holy Land Christians live?
In Israel:
Most major Palestinian towns had significant Christian minorities before Israel’s establishment in 1948. Today, the cities and communities where most Christians in Israel reside are Haifa, Nazareth, Shefa-Amr, Jish, Mi’ilya, Fassuta, Kafr Yasif, Elibun, Tiberias, Ibillin and Nes Ammim.
Haifa today has a small Christian population and is home to many churches belonging to Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant denominations, in addition to the Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery. The monastery is the world headquarters of a Catholic religious order of friars and nuns called the Carmelites, after Mt. Carmel of the city of Haifa. In 2023, a radical ultra-orthodox Jewish group made numerous attempts to take over the monastery, causing great concern to local Christians.
Nazareth is a city in Israel with biblical history. In the old city, the domed Basilica of the Annunciation is where the angel Gabriel told Mary she would bear a child. St. Joseph’s Church is said to be the site of Joseph’s carpentry workshop. The underground Synagogue Church is reputedly where Jesus studied and prayed. Nazareth Village, an open-air museum, reconstructs daily life in Jesus’ era.
Shefa-Amr or Shfar’am is an Arab city in the Northern District of Israel, in the Galilee region. In 2022, it had a population of 43,543, with a Sunni Muslim majority and large Christian Arab and Druze minorities. It has a Catholic church, the Church of St Peter and St Paul, which was built during Ottoman times. It also has a Baptist church.
Jish is a town in northern Israel near the Lebanon border where a majority of the inhabitants are indigenous Arab Christians. In 2022, it had 3216 inhabitants, with 55% Maronite Christians, 30% Greek Catholics and the rest Muslims. Many of its residents trace their heritage to the ancient Aramaens who lived there 3,000 years ago.
Mi’ilya is a a hilltop village of some 3,200 people, mostly Arab Christians, in northern Israel. According to an article in the New York Times, “Most of its residents are Greek Catholics whose ancestors began to settle here during Ottoman rule in the mid-18thcentury.”
Fassuta is a Christian Arab village in the Galilee. It is located on the northwestern slopes of Mount Meron, south of the Lebanese border. In 2022 it had a population of 3,255, nearly all of whom are Melkite Christian Arabs.
Kafr Yasif is a village 25 miles northwest of Nazareth in the Galilee area. Just over halfof its population is Christian. One of its former residents became Moderator of the Presbyterian Church USA and is a board member of the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace.
Eilabun is an Arab Christian village located in the Beit Netofa Valley around 15 kilometers south-west of Safed in northern Galilee between Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of 5,799 in 2022, which is predominantly Christian.
Tiberias is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Its Old City holds important Jewish and Christian pilgrimage sites including the Tomb of Maimonides and Abulafia (Etz Chaim) Synagogue. Today it’s a primarily Jewish town with a small, mostly expatriate community of Christians serving pilgrims and visitors. The Church of Scotland maintains a church and hospice in both Jerusalem and Tiberias.
Ibillin in northern Israel is a mixed Arab Christian and Muslim town. It is home to St.George Melkite Catholic Church, whose priest is the founder of Mar Elias Educational Institutions where Christian and Muslim students learn together.
Nes Ammim in northern Israel is unique among the Christian towns of Israel in that its residents are not Palestinian Christians. It was founded by European Christians as a sign of solidarity with the Jewish people after the Holocaust. In 2021 it had a population of 467. It emphasizes inter-religious dialog as its inhabitants work together with Israeli and Arab neighbors. It organizes seminars of encounter and dialogue between Israeli Jews and Arabs.
In The West Bank:
Bethlehem, the town where Jesus was born, and East Jerusalem, which includes the Old City of Jerusalem, are both inside the West Bank, which is a surprise to many Americans. They are east of the 1948 Armistice Line that forms the internationally recognized border between Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. The largest number of Christians in the West Bank are concentrated in East Jerusalem, Bethlehem and its sister towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour. There are also Christians in Ramallah, Birzeit, Jifna, Ein Arik, Taybeh, Zababdeh, Jenin, Burqin, Nablus and Jericho.
East Jerusalem is east of the 1948 armistice line that forms the internationally recognized border between Israel and the West Bank. Its residents are primarily Palestinians, and there are many Christians are among them. There are numerous churches there, the most famous of which is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which marks the place where Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead.
Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour - Many Christians of the Palestinian Territories live in the sister towns of Bethlehem (or Beit Lahem), Beit Jala and Beit Sahour - These towns are located to southeast of Jerusalem, with Bethlehem between Beit Jala to the west and Beit Sahour to the east. Many Christian pilgrims visit these areas without ever realizing they are in the West Bank, and not in Israel. A 26-ft high snaking concrete wall has been built through the town of Bethlehem, and though the entrance might look like a normal checkpoint, it has had a devastating impact on the town’s economy, cutting it off from Jerusalem. Bethlehem is home to the Church of the Nativity. It also has many other Christian churches, including Lutheran, Anglican, Greek Orthodox, Baptist, Melkiteand Coptic Orthodox, as well as a Maronite convent. Bethlehem is home to Bethlehem Bible College, an outstanding Palestinian Christian Evangelical university college that has trained many Christian leaders both locally and internationally. Bethlehem University, a Catholic institution, was the first university founded in Palestine.
Beit Sahour is home to the Shepherd’s Field, where the angel appeared to the shepherds when Christ was born. Beit Sahour has an Evangelical Lutheran church, a Latin Catholic church, a Greek Catholic church and an Orthodox church. A cave below one of the churches contains the tomb of the three shepherds who saw the Nativity Star. Their descendants still live in Beit Sahour. The town also has a large YMCA training and rehabilitation center.
Beit Jala is known for its celebrations of St. Nicholas, its patron saint. The Orthodox Christian parish, the largest congregation in Beit Jala, built a beautiful stone church over the cave, which is used both as a village church and a place of pilgrimage. In addition to St Nicholas Church, the town also has Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches. Beit Jala also has the Seminary of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Ramallah was founded by Arab Christians and was historically a Christian city. However, its population today is predominantly Muslim. It has a number of churches, including Greek Orthodox, Melkite, and Latin Catholic churches. It also has a Coptic Orthodox Church, an Evangelical Lutheran Church and an Anglican Church. Two schools run by the Quakers have drawn students from around the region.
Birzeit or Bir Zayt is a Palestinian Christian village north of Ramallah. It is home to Birzeit University, one of the most prestigious universities in the West Bank. The ruins of Birzeit date back to the Byzantine era and beyond, a part of the historically Christian region north of Jerusalem. The simple farming and pastoral lifestyle of the people was destroyed after1948. A massive refugee camp was set up on Church-owned property and is now home to almost 10,000 people. In 1967, as people were again displaced across the country, more Christians left. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem operates a high school and the Immaculate Conception Church in Birzeit, which also has a leading university on the outskirts of the town.
Jifna, is a Palestinian village near Ramallah in the central West Bank, has retained a Christian majority since the 6th century. Jifna is home to the Greek Orthodox Church of St George, which is considered by many to be the oldest church in the West Bank. The town also has St Joseph’s Latin Catholic Church.
Ein Arik is an ancient village in the Ramallah Governorate. There are two churches located in the village, which is a model of co-existence between a Muslim majority and Christians. The monks and nuns of the Little Family of the Annunciation live in the Latin convent and have served the Christian community since 1988. Churches include the Catholic Church of the Annunciation operated by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Taybeh claims to be the only all-Christian town in Palestine. It is famous for having its own brewery and Oktoberfest celebration, and over the years has hosted visitors from around the world. It has picturesque, whitewashed homes and the town center itself is one of the most beautiful in Palestine. Taybeh also has the ruins of a Byzantine church and the remains of a Crusader castle. Christ the Redeemer Latin Catholic Church and St George’s Orthodox Church are among the churches in Taybeh, which also has several Christian schools.
Zababdeh is the only majority Christian town in the northern West Bank, located just 2km from Jenin. It is a small agricultural village with four Christian Churches: the Melkite Catholic Church, the Latin Catholic Church (Church of the Visitation), the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Church, which runs a clinic there. The Latin Catholic school there is highly regarded and has both Christian and Muslim students (like most Christian schools in the Holy Land.) Jenin - There are approximately 200 Christians in Jenin, out of the city’s population of 50,000. Most of these are Latin Catholics. They worship at the city’s one church, the Church of the Holy Redeemer, which also runs a kindergarten.
Burqin - A mile to the west of Jenin sits the town of Burqin, with an ancient church and a small Greek Orthodox community of about 20 families. These families worship in and care for the Byzantine-era Burqin Church or St. George’s Church, one of the oldest churches in the world. St. George’s was built by Queen Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, and contains the Patriarchal Seat from the 4th century, the only one in Palestine carved of stone. It is the location of Christ’s healing of Ten Lepers (Luke 17). The church contains the cave in which the lepers were quarantined.
Nablus has a small Christian community, with the Roman Catholic Church of St. Justinus and a school founded by the Rosary Sisterhood religious order. Most Christians live in the suburb of Rafidia. There are two Anglican churches in the area: St Philips in Nablus and the Good Shepherd Church in Rafidia. According to Friends of the Holy Land, “In normal times, the parishes support an ecumenical youth group, couples’ group, women’s group, and Sunday School with bus transport provided. They provide Christian support and education for all Christians in Nablus through the kindergarten school based in the parish, the Christian National Kindergarten. There is also a Greek Catholic Church, Our Lady of the Annunciation, which runs a school next door. Jericho, one of the oldest cities in the world, has a small number of Christians among a largely Muslim population. They worship in three churches, the Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd, a Greek Orthodox church and a Romanian Orthodox church. There is also a Greek Orthodox monastery and a Coptic Orthodox convent. There is a very active YWCA in Jericho, which provides training in computer science, industrial arts, and other skills. It also runs a kindergarten and has several successful women’s programs.
In Gaza:
According to Rev. Dr. Mae Cannon of Churches for Middle East Peace, “Christians have been in Gaza since the earliest days of the church. The book of Acts relates the story that Philip the Apostle evangelized an Ethiopian eunuch from the royal court on the road that ran through Gaza. Founded in the 5th century, St. Porphyrius Church in Gaza City is the oldest church in Gaza and one of the oldest churches in the world.” When Hamas assumed governing control of Gaza in 2007 following democratic elections that were monitored by international observers, Israel imposed a complete blockade on the movement of goods and people in and out of the Gaza Strip. [2]This turned Gaza into a large open-air prison for Christians and Muslims alike. In 2009, there were about 3,000 Christians in the Gaza Strip. [14]
By 2014, when Israel conducted a major bombing campaign on Gaza. there were only 1300. In 2022, about 1,100 Christians lived in the Gaza Strip. [15] Many have been killed in the latest wave of Israeli bombings and sniper attacks that continue today. The largest number of Gaza Christians are Greek Orthodox or Catholic, but there are also Baptists in Gaza. In May 2024, about seven months into the current war, International Christian Concern estimated that 25% to half of the Christians who lived in Gaza before the war have fled, and an additional 25% are applying to leave.