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| Huwaida Arraf |
situation leads some to believe that the conflict is solely between
Muslims and Jews.
How many Christians are aware that Bethlehem is surrounded by the Apartheid
Wall? This wall is 8 times longer and twice as high in comparison to
the Berlin Wall which was built in Germany. If one had to travel from
Jerusalem to Bethlehem one would need to cross many check points
resulting in the total travel time to increase by upto four fold.
Christians (should) also value this blessed land as Jesus (PBUH) was
born in Bethlehem, at the present day Church of Nativity, and the
Virgin Mary was born in the Old City in Jerusalem (see attached
pictures).
The following are three common myths regarding the land of Occupied Palestine.
Myth#1 : The conflict over Palestine land is between Muslims and Jews
Christians today are less than 15 percent of the current population in
Bethlehem. Prior to the partitioning of Palestine in 1947, Christians
made up 70 percent of the population. They have been killed, forced
into exile and fled from area to area as Israeli forces sanction the
land-grab by the settlers and its government, ensuring that the the
native Palestinian population is displaced.
Myth #2 The land of Jerusalem is sacred exclusively to Jews
In April /May 2002, the siege on the Church of the Nativity in
Bethlehem drew criticism from the Syrian Orthodox Chruch and the
Vatican. IDF soldiers claimed that militants had sought refuge within
the Church's walls but a Welsh activist, Alister Hillman, said, "The
majority of people here are civilians. It's not the case that the
church is full of 150 armed people."
(See link for full article : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/
Myth #3 Palestinian-Christians are allowed to freely move in Occupied
Palestine
On November 15, 2011, six Palestinian Freedom Riders boarded the
'Jewish-only' settler bus bound for Jerusalem. Huwaida Arraf, a
Palestinian-Christian was dragged off the bus by Israeli soldiers for
attempting to enter Jerusalem without a permit. Permit passes are
issued by the occupation forces of Israel. Thus, there is NO freedom
of movement for Palestinians. Despite the live streaming of the event
, Israeli forces and its government hid behind the guise that they
were "protecting" Israelis from violent Palestinians. Note that all
six Freedom Riders were non-violent activists nor was any weapon found
on them.
Below are articles which would be of special interest to Christians,
http://www.allvoices.com/
http://latimesblogs.latimes.
A Pastors thoughts on Palestinians Christians living in Israel
"Palestinian Christians are also upset with the Israelis because
Palestinian land is constantly being confiscated in the Bethlehem
area, land which belongs mostly to Christians. On this “seized” land
new Jewish settlements are being built. Consequently the Christian
population of Bethlehem specifically and Israel in general, is falling
rapidly.
This is information American Christians don’t often hear. There are
hoards of Christians in America who are told from their pulpits that
all of Palestine belongs to Israel and therefore the ever expanding
settlements on Palestinian property are justified because that is
God’s promise in the Old Testament.
In addition, many American Christians are led to believe that the
Palestinians are all Muslim. They are not! American Christians have
brothers and sisters in Israel who are both Protestant and Catholic
and we need to support them."
http://apastorsthoughts.
"Palestinian Christians are not a minority but an integral part of the
Palestinian people, whose contributions to our national struggle, art,
culture, and civil society are invaluable."
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| Bethlehem checkpoint |
It is such a good thing to know that the relationship between Palestinians and Christians are still strong. And I really hope all these issues regarding the other communities will come to an end soon...
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