Christians in Palestine

Book Description

In this deeply personal exploration, journalist Jean Rolin ventures into the heart of Palestine on the brink of the Iraq War to document a community caught between worlds. Through intimate encounters in Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Jerusalem, he reveals the complex reality facing Arab Christians who find themselves navigating between their ancient faith and contemporary political loyalties.

Rolin's account illuminates a population wrestling with profound internal tensions, reluctant to challenge Muslim leadership while directing frustration toward Israeli policies. These Christians, entrusted with safeguarding Christianity's most sacred sites for over two millennia, face mounting pressure from an increasingly fundamentalist Islamic environment that threatens their very existence.

The book exposes a tragic irony: despite their role as guardians of holy places central to the Christian faith, Palestinian Christians experience such high emigration rates that their community teeters on the edge of disappearance. Rolin documents how political conflict has created conditions where a people with roots stretching back two thousand years now confront potential extinction.

Through detailed portraits of individual lives, this work reveals how broader geopolitical forces impact personal faith and community survival. Rolin presents a nuanced examination of religious identity under pressure, offering readers insight into how spiritual communities adapt when caught between competing loyalties and existential threats. The narrative serves as both historical documentation and urgent testimony about faith communities facing unprecedented challenges.