A series of violent incidents in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, and the nearby towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, have left Christians worried about their safety and future under the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Many Christians living in these communities are complaining that the Palestinian Authority is not doing enough to punish those who attack churches and Christian-owned businesses. The perpetrators are Muslims who make up the majority of the population in the Bethlehem area.
Earlier this year, Palestinian Evangelical Pastor Johnny Shahwan was arrested by the PA security forces on charges of “promoting normalization” with Israel.
The arrest came after Shahwan, founder and chair of the board of Beit Al-Liqa (House of Encounter) in Beit Jala, appeared in a photo alongside Rabbi Yehuda Glick, a former member of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
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Beit Al-Liqa is a Christian community and training center. The center, accused of hosting the rabbi together with a group of German tourists, was ordered closed for one week by the Palestinian Authority.
After the photo of the pastor and rabbi appeared on social media, unidentified gunmen fired shots at the center. No one was hurt and no damage was reported. According to some reports, the pastor was held in Palestinian custody for more than a month to protect him from Palestinians who threatened his life.
Read more: Gatestone Institute
