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Palestinian believers light candles in the Church of Nativity, Palestinian town of Bethlehem
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A Palestinian Christian Response to Michael Oren
By Faysal Hijazeen
As the parish priest of Ramallah, an op-ed by Israel's envoy to the US gave me pause for thought. Michael Oren's article spoke volumes of Israel's unending misrepresentation of Palestinian daily life.
The presence of our 13 Latin Patriarchate Schools throughout the West Bank and Gaza, for over 150 years, is a living witness to the coexistence of Palestinian Christians and Muslims.
We have never faced in our schools or society the supposed persecution of Christians by Muslims to which Mr Oren referred in "Israel and the Plight of Mideast Christians," published Friday in the Wall Street Journal.
Contrary to Oren’s statements, the persecution of Christians here is caused mainly by the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory. This occupation humiliates us, destroys our economy, causes demographic changes and deprives millions of the freedom of movement and their right to decent lives, in addition to the confiscation of land.
These are the main ways Christians are persecuted in Palestine.