PA officials say that they understand their responsibility to protect Christian converts, even Muslims who convert to nonindigenous Christian groups that espouse the view that Palestine was promised by God to his chosen people, the Jews. During the period covered by this report, approximately 7 converts to Christianity from Islam were detained without warrant or trial by members of the Palestinian security forces and questioned about their faith as well as other activities. In the majority of these cases, the individuals involved had criminal records or were suspected of involvement with Israelis. There are allegations that while in custody, several were mistreated. There were no other reports of religious detainees or prisoners.
Foreign missionaries operate in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.
These include a handful of evangelical Christian pastors who seek to convert Muslims to Christianity. While they maintain a generally low profile, the PA is aware of their activities and generally has not restricted them. Christians participate in Palestinian official life. A number of PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat's senior advisors are Christians. Occasionally, the PA takes steps to protect Christians.