Christmas 2007 Message

Belittled Town of Bethlehem - a Christmas Message.

The photograph of Bethlehem hanging in my office was taken in 1884.  It depicts hundreds of pilgrims flocking to the Church of the Nativity at Christmas.  The quaint little town of ancient churches and two story Ottoman homes built on Byzantine and Roman foundations is nestled on a gently sloping Palestinian hillside.  The entranceway to Bethlehem is broad and inviting.  I half expected to see something like this when I visited Bethlehem.  My antique photograph offered me no point of reference.

Today there are few pilgrims flocking to Bethlehem.  The ancient buildings, pock marked with bullet holes, are camouflaged by steel doors and metal shutters.  The gentle rolling terrain has been violently cleaved to construct illegal Jewish housing settlements.  The open entranceway is now a security terminal that's part of a 27 foot high segregation wall that zigzags around and through the town.  The little town of Bethlehem is now a village under siege.

When I was in Bethlehem, Israeli troops had just invaded the city in search of a Palestinian activist.  Over a dozen military vehicles surrounded a building near the girls' school.  Many of the local residents were forced from their homes and a crowd of elders, women and children gathered in As-Saf Street as the Israeli jeeps took up position around the suspect's house. The soldiers throw tear gas grenades at the crowd and also into a house where some had taken refuge; many of the bystanders were treated by Palestinian medical services. Soldiers were seen beating some of the Palestinian bystanders and several people were injured. 

Eyewitnesses heard three explosions from inside the targeted building. The building remained standing. In one nearby house, all the windows were blown out.  A large bulldozer [Caterpillar D-9] arrived and began knocking down the house of the suspect.  A fire could be seen burning in the neighborhood. The Israeli soldiers used a 'human shield' to enter the home. The Palestinian man was forced to enter the building ahead of the soldiers and carry in their military equipment. A second young Palestinian was ordered to carry any furniture that had not already been totally destroyed out of the building.  A 22-year-old Palestinian man was detained by the Israeli forces after part of his house was also blown up. Gunfire erupted between some locals and the Israeli soldiers and at least six Palestinians were shot.

A teenage boy was shot dead by the Israeli forces. Two other Palestinian teenagers were seriously injured.  One of the boys, aged 13, died almost instantly after being shot in the head.  An 80-year-old woman was shot in the head, abdomen and legs by the Israelies. She was listed as brain dead in the hospital and may have died by now.  A seven year old boy was critically injured by a gunshot wound to his head.  A 30 year old man was shot in the abdomen. Another woman was injured by gunshots. Another woman suffered several gunshot wounds.  Shots were heard in the area throughout the day.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem the Jewish king wanted him dead.  The king's army invaded the countryside beating women and killing innocent children.  To maintain power and control, the Jewish king intimidated, harassed, terrorized and oppressed the people.  Joseph took his wife and newborn son and joined the stream of refugees fleeing Bethlehem in the face of state sponsored terrorism.  In exile, in time, Joseph learned that the king was dead, the terror had ended and it was safe to return to Palestine.  He took his family and went home; the rest is the history of our liberation and salvation.

This Christmas, as we sing our carols and watch our pageants, celebrate our Liturgy and enjoy our feast, I'll be thinking of the people I met in Bethlehem belittled by indignity, exiled from their homes, refugees in their own land, anxiously awaiting news of the death of an oppressive regime.  As we meet the incarnate God in the celebration of His birthday lets also remember His birthplace and the people struggling there for ‘peace on earth'.  If you want to help liberate Bethlehem - check out this web site -   http://www.openbethlehem.org/