Ramallah – Palestinian Christians call themselves “living stones” and say they have lived continuously in the Holy Land for the last 2,000 years. Between 40,000 and 45,000 Christians are estimated to live in the West Bank today, accounting for slightly more than one percent of the population. The desire to leave the West Bank is not limited to Palestinian Christians, but there are factors making it easier for them to do so, said Palestinian foreign minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin. Excluding east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, home to around three million Palestinians. The centre’s director, researcher Khalil Shikaki, said that the desire to emigrate in the West Bank is twice as high among Christians as among Muslims.