Bad conditions also forcing non-Christians from Holy Land

Published: 2004-02-24

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Christians are not the only ones leaving the Holy Land; many Muslims and Jews also are leaving as the economic and political conditions in the region decline, said two prominent Mideast Catholics. Peace could bring a halt to this trend, but since peace is unlikely in the near future, young people will continue to leave, said Bernard Sabella, a Catholic professor of sociology at Bethlehem University in the West Bank. He said instead of just blaming the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories people need to ask themselves "What next?" "What do you do? You can encourage people to stay, create business enterprises for young people but, in the final analysis, it is a personal choice," he said. "This will continue, and I don't think we should make out of this a political issue. It is also an issue to discuss about how it reflects on the society, its traditions and (how it affects) communities dying off. For me as a sociologist, this is the tragedy."

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