Christian graves vandalized:
Israeli Major-General Yaakov Or, coordinator for the territories, told the Israeli daily Ha'aretz (Feb.28, 2001) that there has been a rise in "vandalism of Christian graves" in the PA-controlled areas. He added that "some fifty Christian families from Beit Sahour [a mostly-Christian town in PA territory] alone tried to emigrate in the last month."
PA police storm monastery:
The PA police burst into a Jericho monastery and tried to seize control of the building. Four nuns and monks were expelled. Two American nuns -- including Sister Maria, whose brother is former top Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos-- managed to remain in the monastery, and are refusing to leave. Sister Maria was injured by PA police officers during the course of the initial police invasion. (Associated Press, Jan.18, 2000)
Senator meets Christians persecuted by PA:
Accompanied by ZOA leaders, U.S. Senator Connie Mack visited Israel in 1999, and met with Christians persecuted by the PA. In a speech he delivered on the floor of the U.S. Senate on March 3, 1999, Senator Mack reported:
I had a profound meeting during this week. I met one evening privately-- secretly--with Arabs who were being persecuted for their Christian faith. I met with about 10 Palestinian Christians. I will tell you just one of their stories, but I will change some of the details to protect the person I am describing.
I remember an energetic man, in his early 40s...He had many children and very little money. He converted to Christianity in 1993. He clearly loved God, and he loved to tell people about his conversion. He described to me how in 1997, the Palestinian Authority asked him to come to the police station for questioning. When he arrived, he was immediately arrested and detained on charges of selling land to Jews. He denied this charge, since he was very poor and owned no land. He was beaten. He was hung from the ceiling by his hands for many hours. He showed me what I just said. He showed me how his hands were tied behind his back and then raised from the floor and hung that way for many, many hours.
After 2 weeks, he was transferred to a larger prison where he was held for 8 months without trial. He was released in February 1998, after his family borrowed thousands of dollars to pay off the local authorities. And even though he is free, they are keeping his father in prison. They believe it is for his son's beliefs. He feels his father is being held hostage to prevent him from talking with people about his faith. Needless to say, these Christians met with me at considerable risk. They conveyed to me a message of fear and desperation. But their mere presence in the room with me demonstrated their hope, and it also caused me to ask, how can the people of Israel find peace with the Palestinian Authority while the Palestinian Authority engages in coercion and torture based upon religious beliefs?