Yes, you see, WND made it all up: not only the present difficulties, but 1,400 years of oppression, jizya and dhimmitude.
From WND, with thanks to Twostellas:
JERUSALEM — An article published Sunday by WorldNetDaily quoting Bethlehem residents as saying local Muslim persecution prompted tens of thousands of Christians to flee the city is “all lies” and the “kind of American reporting [that] is the real reason for any rift between Muslims and Christians,” a major Palestinian newspaper stated yesterday, claiming inter-religious relations in Bethlehem “have never been better.”
“There is no problem between Christians and Muslims in Bethlehem, but any problem that may exist is because of this kind of article in the American media,” stated a piece in the Al Manar Palestinian daily.
The Palestinian paper went on to quote several sections of WND’s article, “Muslim grinches steal Bethlehem Christmas,” calling the report “all lies. This is an effort to separate Christians and Muslims in Bethlehem.”
WND reported many Christians in Bethlehem say they face constant Muslim hostility, prompting the Christian population to decline from 90 percent of the city to the current demographic of less than 25 percent. The drastic decline started in 1995, the year the Palestinian Authority took control of Bethlehem.
What a coincidence! But since they can’t blame that one on Israel, WND will do for now. Read it all.