Bethlehem’s Christian Arab leaders lobbied Israel against transferring the city to the Palestinian Authority. In 1993, on the eve of signing the Oslo Accord, the Christian mayor of Bethlehem, Elias Freij, admonished Israel’s Prime Minister Rabin: “Transferring Bethlehem to the Palestinian Authority would relegate it to a town of many churches, but devoid of Christians.” Since the 1993 establishment of the Palestinian Authority, the Christian majorities of Ramallah, Bethlehem and Beit Jala have been transformed into insignificant minorities.
