❗️Study details historic collapse of Christian population in occupied Jerusalem under Israeli pressure The Christian share of the population in occupied Jerusalem has plummeted from 25 percent in 1922 to just 1.56 percent by late 2023, according to a landmark demographic report released by the Jerusalem International Foundation today. The study documented that fewer than 15,300 Christians remain in the city, of whom approximately 13,100 are indigenous Palestinians. The foundation attributed the dramatic demographic collapse to a systemic policy of economic, legal, and social pressure enforced by Israeli occupation authorities, alongside restrictive residency laws, such as the arbitrary revocation of Jerusalem residency permits under the "center of life" policy, designed to systematically erode the Palestinian presence in the holy city. Beyond demographic displacement, the report documented aggressive campaigns targeting Christian church endowments and properties, which comprise nearly 28 percent of endowment lands in occupied East Jerusalem. Occupation authorities and settler groups have utilized forced long-term leases, discriminatory tax schemes, and judicial maneuvering to seize control of historic Christian assets. The study further highlighted a sharp rise in hate crimes by Israeli settlers, including physical assaults on clergy, spitting attacks on worshippers, and the desecration of historical cemeteries, monasteries, and religious symbols. Strict military restrictions imposed on access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during Easter and Holy Saturday celebrations have further restricted freedom of worship. Warning that these hostile policies pose an existential threat to the pluralistic character of Jerusalem, the foundation urged international legal bodies and diplomatic channels to take concrete action to protect Christian holy sites, church endowments, and the endangered Palestinian Christian community.