The news today tell the story of the Palestinian authority agenda at UNESCO, mainly of having Bethlehem registered as a “Palestinian heritage site”, this is done to politically gain some points against Israel and promote the participation of the PA into the UN as a member state.

The trouble with this request is the poor treatment the Palestinians give Christians and their sites, something that does not appear much on the news and that is probably considered less sexy is the fact that Christians numbers in the PA have been diminishing very quick, from making 30% of the total population 30-40 years ago to under 9% today (check out this link to learn more). Although there are no official interviews with people planning why the leave their homes it is safe to assume it is the Muslim pressure targeting Christians. And so the town of Bethlehem is today overwhelming Muslim, and is expected to be 99% Muslim in a few years.

The destruction of synagogs in the Gaza area, in the name of nationalism or religion (or both) serves as a painful reminder of how Palestinians treat other religions in their controlled areas. As an atheist I do not mind the destruction of religious sites, however all these are of huge historic importance, to all mankind, and should be preserved as a part of our understanding our past. There is no doubt that religious intolerance starts with the destruction of symbols and monuments of one side and ends with the destruction of human lives.