What is happening to Christian communities in the Holy Land-and why is their presence rapidly declining?

Diana Safieh is joined by activist and researcher Miranda Pinch, fresh from a recent visit to the West Bank. Drawing on decades of engagement with Palestine, Miranda offers a first-hand account of the realities facing Palestinian Christians today-challenging common narratives and exposing the structural pressures driving displacement.

From East Jerusalem to Hebron, from Christian schools to shrinking communities, this conversation explores how occupation, policy, and economic constraints are reshaping one of the world’s oldest Christian populations.

Miranda Pinch is a long-time advocate for Palestinian rights. The daughter of a secular Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany, she was raised with a strong awareness of injustice and its consequences.

Former Ecumenical Accompanier (EAPPI) in Hebron
Member of the Holocaust Survivor Descendants Network
Communications Lead for Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine
Advisory Forum member, Britain Palestine Project
Founder member of CAMPAIN (Campaign Against Misrepresentation in Public Affairs)
Director of Balfour to Banksy: Divisions and Visions in Palestine (2017)

📉 Decline of Palestinian ChristiansOnce around 8% of the population, Christians now make up less than 2%-and under 1% when excluding immigrants.
🏙 Life under occupationRestrictions on movement, land, housing, and employment are contributing to emigration and fragmentation.
⛪ Pressure on churches and institutionsChurches face new taxation pressures, legal disputes over land, and financial strain.
🎓 Education and resilienceChristian schools remain vital spaces of empowerment-serving both Christian and Muslim students.
🚧 Checkpoints, permits, and daily lifeFrom arbitrary closures to humiliating searches, daily realities shape whether people can work, study, or stay.
🧠 Misinformation and global narrativesMiranda challenges claims that Christians are thriving, highlighting how statistics can obscure displacement and annexation dynamics.
🤝 Christian–Muslim relationsContrary to common assumptions, divisions are not religious but political-rooted in occupation and “divide and rule” dynamics.

The decline of Christians in the Holy Land is not incidental-it is shaped by structural pressures.
Palestinian Christians share many of the same challenges as their Muslim neighbours.
Education, especially for women, remains a key site of resilience.
International silence-particularly from churches-remains a major concern.
Advocacy, accurate language, and political engagement are essential tools for change.

Miranda’s call to action is clear:

📣 Speak out-challenge misinformation
🏛 Lobby your MP and local institutions
⛪ Engage your church or community
📤 Share this episode and amplify Palestinian voices