Palestinští křesťané – problém dlouhotrvajícího exodu z místa zrodu křesťanství

Abstract

The phenomenon of emigration of Palestinian Christians is, without doubt, linked with the very complicated political-economic situation in Palestine, especially in the West Bank. However, are there any other circumstances and reasons for such a massive exodus from the West Bank? What was the demographic development of this group of religions in the second half of the twentieth century like? These are the main questions dealt with in this article. The first part of the article describes the demographic development of Palestinian Christians, together with analyses of the situation regarding the absence of relevant resources. It also explains how the results in this study were reached. The second part focuses on the issue of emigration of Palestinian Christians, with the emphasis on the situation in the West Bank. It compares the findings of two official research studies of reasons for the emigration of Palestinian Christians which appeared in 2006 and 2008, and analyses the main emigration reasons. The current situation in the area, including the issue of accumulative extremism and the second intifada, which made the relationship between Christians and Muslims more complicated, is also addressed. The article contains a part of the author’s own interviews with Palestinian Christians from the Bethlehem area made during the author’s field research in Palestine in autumn 2009. The statements obtained in this way have their own logic and are instrumental in better understanding of the circumstances with which Palestinian Christians are confronted. In the conclusion, the author briefly assesses the main reasons for the emigration of Palestinian Christians.