In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Archbishop Atallah Hanna said Israeli occupation’s policies have driven a dramatic decline in the Christian population of Bethlehem.
The archbishop pointed to the separation wall, tight movement restrictions, and the economic suffocation of the city, saying these measures have pushed Christian families to immigrate.
He noted that Bethlehem’s Christian population has fallen from around 100,000 decades ago to fewer than 30,000 today, describing the decline as a direct consequence of the Israeli occupation policies against Christians rather than immigration by choice.