Bethlehem Christians Empathize With Their Beleaguered Brethren

The National Catholic Register ^ | 7/16/13 | Michele Chabin

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Palestinian faithful are keeping their eyes and prayers on those affected by the strife in Syria and Egypt.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Palestinian Christians are watching the civil war in Syria and the unrest in Egypt with great concern, not out of fear for their own safety, but for the safety of their brethren.

While the Christian minority has always been vulnerable in the predominantly Muslim Middle East, the volatility that has shaken the region during the past two to three years has unleashed even more attacks against them.

Many Christians are among the millions of Syrians who have been forced out of their homes, an estimated 1 million of whom are now refugees outside the country, most of them in Jordan and Lebanon.

The Syrian crisis, in particular, has drawn both the world’s attention and donor funding away from Palestinians and toward the Syrian refugees, according to Church officials and humanitarian organizations.

Palestinian Christians recognize that, as tough as their lives are sometimes, they are in a far better situation than many others in the Middle East.