The centuries-old Christian population in the holy city of Nazareth is slowly disappearing because of a mafia crime wave sweeping northern Israel.

Near the Church of the Annunciation, where tourists can pick up souvenirs, most of the shops are now owned and run by Muslims.

Mafia gang members reportedly harass Christian store owners in the northern Israeli city and demand the equivalent of thousands of pounds in protection money.

Their numbers are reported to have grown since the outbreak of the Gaza war despite the deployment of Shin Bet, the Israeli internal security agency, last year and extra police patrols.

“In Nazareth, the mafia will shoot at the stores, then tell them they need ‘chawa’ [protection]. It’s like the Wild West,” said Peter Roshrash, a senior police inspector who has covered Nazareth for decades.

The gangs, which are predominantly Muslim, charge around 50,000 shekels (£10,750) per month as part of a protection racket, he said.

He also claimed they hide guns in Christian residents’ houses that – if discovered by the police – would lead to a further charge of 200,000 shekels at pain of death.

“The mafia harasses them with thefts, car thefts, puncturing tyres, they can’t live in peace,” he added. “It is a tense time for the Christians, who are as much a historic part of Israel’s fabric as the Jews and Muslims.”

Although by 1948 – the year of Israel’s independence war – the majority of Nazarenes were Christian, today, they comprise only 20 per cent.

At approximately 21,000 people, however, it is still the largest Christian community in Israel. About 187,900 Christians live in the country, comprising approximately 2 per cent of the population, a 1.3 percentage point growth from the year before, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.

Mr Roshrash, who is a Christian, said that he and his family were among those still living in the city.

But he described a mass exodus from the ancient city where Jesus is believed to have grown up, with Easter Sunday celebrations now only a fraction of what they once were.

“Those who could have left for countries like England and Canada. Maybe three or four of the Christian shops are still there but they live in total fear,” he said of Al Bishara street near the Church of the Annunciation, where tourists can pick up souvenirs such as rosaries and fridge magnets. Most of those shops are now owned and run by Muslims.

The surge in mafia violence has become a national issue.

Earlier this month, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, admitted that the problem was still huge despite the deployment of the Shin Bet to take over from the police.

“The criminal organisations are continuing to strengthen, and are now using weapons that are more lethal than in the past such as claymores [mines] and LAW [anti-tank] rockets,” he said.

When asked about the influence of the mafia in Nazareth, municipality spokesman Salem Sharara said: “These questions are very dangerous and we don’t like to answer them.”

However, he insisted it was not Christians who were being specifically targeted.

“If there is a mafia it’s against Muslims and the Christians alike … You think the rich Muslims aren’t also a target for the mafia? To the mafia there is no religion.”

For the city’s Muslim population, the situation is little better.

Fatima Salama, a mother of four, said that she is afraid to go out at night.

“There are always shootings and fights in the street. How do we know we won’t get caught in the crossfire? Even in the daytime this can happen.”

Like all the Arab and mixed cities across northern Israel, Nazareth’s impoverished population has long demanded more help to tackle growing crime, with protests taking place last year claiming the police had abandoned them.

“We need more policing if we are able to live a normal life,” said Abu Ahmad, a waiter in Nazareth.

“When I walk home from work late at night I’m also afraid because of how much crime is happening right here. The violence on the streets here is making it very hard to feel safe. The government has to do more.”

 

Some 17 people were killed in Nazareth last year, the joint highest number of fatalities for any city in Israel along with Lod, another predominantly Arab city, according to the Abraham Initiatives.

“Nazareth became a focal point for crime in 2023, and if the surrounding areas are included (Yafia, Kafr Kana, Iksal, Ilut and Ein Mahal) the figure rises to 28,” its annual report added.

Some people have said the figure is even higher. Mr Roshrash said there were at least 40 mafia-related deaths in the city last year and 225 across the country.

But while many Israeli Arabs are too poor to escape the crime wave, Christians are often wealthier and can afford to relocate, for example up the hill to the largely Jewish area Nazareth Elite.

That means a city home to churches built on the biblical sites of Mary’s childhood home and the spring where she is believed to have encountered the angel Gabriel could one day be all but emptied of its historic populations of Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Maronites and Protestants.

“Two years ago, the Canadian Embassy already had 500 Christian families on the waiting list. At least 70 per cent of the remaining population are trying to leave,” said Shadi Khalloul, the founder of the Israeli Christian Aramaic Association NGO, which seeks to preserve the Christian culture.

“Christians are living a very dangerous life here.”