Christians concerned over ‘disappearance’ of communities here
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS

Jerusalem Post
Nov 11 2004

The Christian world is increasingly afraid of the virtual disappearance
of their communities in the Holy Land, Motti Levy, Christian and Arab
affairs adviser to Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, said Wednesday.

“The ever-dwindling numbers of Christians living in the Holy Land in
general and in Jerusalem [in particular] is cause for concern in the
Christian world that the Christian communities here will disappear,”
the mayor’s newly appointed adviser for religious communities in
Israel told The Jerusalem Post.

About 10,000 Christians live in Jerusalem, a city with nearly 700,000
residents, he said.

Though small in number, the Christian community does not view itself
as a minority, because of the strong backing it receives from the
Christian world as well as the guarantees of freedom of religion and
worship afforded by the government, Levy said.

Many, however, who live in Muslim areas of east Jerusalem, feel
unwanted, Levy said. He noted that the situation was even more
severe for Christians living in Palestinian Authority-ruled areas
of the West Bank, such as the once-predominantly Christian city of
Bethlehem, which has seen a mass exodus of Christians.

Levy stressed that mutual respect and tolerance were crucial – and
often sorely missing – among all faiths in the capital, noting the
recent case of a Jewish yeshiva student spitting at a procession of
Armenian clergymen in the Old City. While the number of Christian
residents in Israel continues to drop, he attributed the growth of
the evangelical Christian community around the world to the religious
challenge posed by Islamic fundamentalism.

Levy, 56, is a seasoned diplomat who, as a history major at the Hebrew
University a quarter of a century ago, studied the rise of monastic
orders in the emerging medieval cities in Europe. He said that Islamic
fundamentalism poses a religious challenge that should be addressed,
as is evangelical Christianity.

Ties between Israeli officials and evangelical Christian leaders
around the world are burgeoning. The Christian groups’ firm and
hardcore belief in the Bible, specifically the return of the Jews to
the Holy Land – a move they feel heralds the coming of the Messiah
– makes them some of Israel’s most outspoken and solid supporters.

In contrast to Jerusalem’s haredi mayor, who has shied away from
direct contact with evangelical Christian leaders, Levy said that,
generally speaking, it was “a mistake” for Israel to reject overtures
of friendship, especially during a time of international isolation.

But in line with his new boss’s outlook, Levy said those evangelicals
who conduct missionary activity in Israel should be subject to the
full force of the law, which bars such activity.

Levy, who does not speak Arabic, said it was essential for the city
to provide all its residents with basic services, but conceded that
it was unrealistic to expect an equal balance of services between the
city’s Jewish and Arab residents, since the latter are not represented
in City Hall because they boycott municipal elections.

Their political future still in doubt, Jerusalem’s 230,000 Arab
residents have long complained of an inequality in services compared
to Jewish neighborhoods.

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