There is widespread unease but no certainty that situation of Christians will deteriorate in the Palestinian territories. Church authorities will seek reconfirmation of the February 15, 2000, Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the Palestine Liberation Organisation that guarantees religious freedom, upholds established Church rights and protects the Holy Sites.

?A disaster, Hamas?s victory is a disaster for Christians,? said an agitated K. M., a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem after poll results from yesterday?s elections showed the Islamist party gaining 77 of the 132 seats in the new Palestinian legislative council.

AsiaNews, Jan 28, 2006

Two thousand years after Jesus came to Taybeh, the dwindling population of this tiny West Bank community is determined to survive and pass on to future generations their unique heritage: the last all-Christian village in the Holy Land.

The villagers of Taybeh are fiercely proud of their Christian heritage. In the entire Holy Land, there are only about 200,000 Christians, less than 2 percent of the population -- 130,000 in Israel and 70,000 in the West Bank and Gaza. Other Christian towns such as Bethlehem and Ramallah now have Muslim majorities, but by strict tradition, only Christians may live in Taybeh or buy property there.

San Fransisco Chronicle, Dec 25, 2005

If pilgrims worshipping in the Church of the Nativity look up at the roof, they will see a battlefield threatening the future of one of Christendom's most holy sites.

Squabbling over crucial roof repairs between the three Christian communities who share custodianship of Jesus's birthplace is endangering the 1,500-year-old basilica.

By Tim Butcher, The Telegraph

Director and President of the Sabeel Center in Jerusalem, Rev. Canon Naim Ateek opened the 2005 Chicago Sabeel Conference at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

The theme for the conference, ?Jerusalem: will justice and peace embrace?? focused on the struggles Palestinians face living under Israeli military occupation; and the ways in which Jews, Christians and Muslims can stand together for human rights and social justice.

Sonia Nettnin, Amin, Oct 10, 2005

This week Palestine Report Online interviews Taybeh's Latin Parish Priest, Raed Abu Sahliyeh on the recent violence where men from a neighboring Muslim village torched houses and cars in the Christian village.

Palestine Report, Sep 8, 2005

It began as yet another "honor killing," still relatively common in the Arab world: a young Muslim woman was poisoned, allegedly by her family, over an extramarital affair. But in a twist, her lover was a Christian ? and 13 of his relatives' homes were burned by an angry mob, all Muslims from the dead woman's clan.

The woman's family insist they were simply dispensing tribal justice. But some Christians say they were targeted because of their religion, reflecting growing worries about a rise in sectarianism after decades of tolerance between Palestinians' Muslim majority and a dwindling Christian minority.

By LARA SUKHTIAN, Associated Press Sep 5, 2005

Senior US Christian leaders have met with the head of the Palestinian Authority following his discussions last week with President George W Bush. Their aim was to encourage further initiatives towards bridge-building in the Middle East.

Ekklisia, June 5, 2005

A group of Palestinian Christian leaders concerned for the dramatic situation of the Christians in the land of the Holy One write an open letter to Bishops and Church Leaders around the world.

"In contrast to 10 years ago our community now represents less than 2 percent of the population and continues to decrease at an alarming rate. This is largely due to emigration. Many Palestinian Christians are leaving as a result of the ongoing conflict"

The Palestine Cronicle, April, 8, 2005

Bishop William Skylstad, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the Palestinian election which was held on 9 January a "historic day" for the Palestinians.

"The elections might mark a new day for people who are looking toward the future with hope," said Bishop Skylstad, who was in Jerusalem at the invitation of the bishops in the Holy Land for an annual meeting on the problems faced by the region's Christians.

Catholic News Service, Jan 10, 2005

Long before the death of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, Open Doors founder and author Brother Andrew began to provide training and support to churches in that region. The man who gave Arafat a Bible for his daughter's first birthday says that Christ?s love is the solution to the Middle East conflict.

Janet Chismar, Senior Editor for Faith, Cross Walk, Nov 15, 2004