Prior to the establishment of the state of
Israel, approximately 20% of
Palestine's population was
Christian. This is reflected in the large number of Palestinian leaders that are Christian. This includes
Hannah Ashrawan[?],
Edward Said and
Yassir Arafat's wife. However, the Christians were also often found in the more affluent segments of Palestinian society which generally fled the country in conjection with the
1948 Arab-Israeli War. Thus while Christian voices are often heard from the Palestinian diaspora, the Christian presence in Palestine is sadly dwindling.
The majority of Palestinian Christians belong to the Greek-rite Orthodox Church of Jerusalem[?], one of the 16 churches of Eastern Orthodoxy. There are also Maronites, Melkites[?], Jacobites, Roman Catholics, Syrian Catholics, and Protestants among the Palestinian population.