Status of Christian Minority in Jerusalem: Emergence and Development

Abstract

Jerusalem is one of the holiest cities for Christians due to its significant relevance to Jesus Christ. Being the center of Christian pilgrimage in addition to its long Christian history, Jerusalem is expected to attract many Christians for living. Despite these facts, the Christians in this holy city compose only a minority with numbers showing a declining trend. The majority of those Jerusalemite Christians are Palestinians struggling for their rights in their homeland. The study showed the sufferings of Christians under the Israeli occupation which sheds light on the discrimination against minorities in Israel. The Christian minority in Jerusalem is declining as many Jerusalem Christians are facing serious pressures that have led them to flee their homeland and live as refugees or migrants in different parts of the world. The study highlights this fact of the decline of the Christian minority in Jerusalem while tracing the emergence and the development of this minority throughout the history of Jerusalem. Through this study, in the light of the problems this minority is facing, the future vision for the Christians in Jerusalem can be predicted for further understanding of the situation in this holy city.