Migration of Palestinian Christians: Drivers and Means of Combating It

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Author: Khalil Shikaki & Walid Ladadweh

Publisher/Publication: Palestinian Center for Policy & Survey Research

DOI/ISBN: https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep25112

This paper is an analysis of a poll conducted on Palestinian Christians, their living conditions, their relationship with Palestinian Muslims, as well as their relationship with the Palestinian government. It seems that emigration to the West and the United States is on the mind of a large percentage. The paper stresses that the majority of the Christian population considers its living conditions in Palestine as positive but that they believe that a better future could be in the cards if they leave for the West. Nonetheless, the constraints imposed by the Palestinian question and the Israeli-Palestinian relations remain a decisive factor, as there is a minority of Palestinian Christians which do not feel at ease within the Palestinian territory. Moreover, educational opportunities for the younger generation remains an important aspect of the percentage that wishes to emigrate. The paper aims, through the analysis of its survey, to present the factors which determine the decisions or lack thereof regarding the current state of the Christians living in Palestine.