Bethlehem is a very special city. It is the birthplace of Jesus. In Bethlehem, God came down to live among us in the form of a small child. During Jesus' time, it was a city in a nation suffering under Roman occupation. Some things have changed, others haven't.
Today, the Christian and Muslim Palestinian residents of Bethlehem find themselves suffering under an indirect occupation imposed by the Israeli army. Bethlehem is part of the West Bank, an area that has a predominantly Palestinian population and which is recognized by the international community as theirs.
After the 1967 invasion and occupation the city was ruled by the Israeli army and then given to a limited Palestinian government (the Palestinian Authority, which actually controls less than 30% of the West Bank).
Israel's wall was initially planned to be built around pre-1967 Israel and meant to keep out terrorists. It is much more than that. It is a landgrab.
The separation wall in fact for the most part begins 3 to 4 kilometres from the 'green line' (pre-1967 border) and it takes a lot more. You can see it almost everywhere in the city. It cuts into it, taking parts of it away to Israel.
We went for a tour with a guide who took us for a walk along the barrier. It is large and gray and tall and thick and imposing. It snakes its way into the city, diving its inhabitants from each other and leaving an ugly landmark.
Some Palestinian homes are completely sorrounded by the wall, in some cases enclosed by 3 sides. They face a dilemna. Not being citizens of Israel, they find themselves illegally living in their land that has been stolen. Many people find themselves separated from places of work and study. Children who would get to school within a few minutes have to navigate their way around the wall and go through checkpoints, and end up having to take more than an hour.
Overlooking Bethlehem you can see Gilo. It is a settlement that was built in 1978, on Palestinian land. It is on the other side of the wall. The thousand or so settlers who live there get the same amount of water as Bethlehem's entire population. While there are water shortages in Bethlehem, settlers in Gilo have swimming pools.
Many children in Bethlehem have grown up their whole lives witnessing violence. Our guide's 6 year old son witnessed a 13 year old boy being shot in the head and killed for throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers. The army then opened fire indiscriminately into the neighbourhood, wounding around a dozen people including a 60 year old woman sitting in her home.
He has nightmares every night and refuses to go to school or to go out and play without someone being with him. He has been blaming his dad for not being able to protect him.
In Bethlehem, you will find the Aida refugee camp. It was built in 1952 to accomodate refugees who fled Israel in 1967. It is an impoverished and gray place. There is only one school, and its gate is pockmarked with bullet holes fired by the army during an incursion and subsequent firefight with Palestinian gunmen. There is an unemployment rate of 44%, according to United Nations World Refugee Assistance.
What is most shocking is the access, or lack of it, to water for its people. Israel controls access to water in the West Bank, both in its areas and areas under Palestinian control.
Almost every house in Aida has a funny thing on top of it, like a big barrell. It is a water tower. Israel pumps the water to the homes once a week. Here is the shocking part: they get it- for 2 hours a day. Let me repeat that again. Two hours. A day.
There are several organizations working with the kids and youth in Aida, trying to provide them with education and some recreational activity to give them something that would be close to resembling a normal childhood.
We met some of these groups. Along with providing basic services to their people (the Palestinian Authority by the way does very little to help the refugees and is extremely corrupt), they also teach that the refugees one day should be allowed to go back to their homes in Israel. They promote the creation of a single democratic state where both people would enjoy equality.
I think the idea sounds great but I do not know if it is possible. 750,000 people were expelled from their homes in 1948. There are literally millions of Palestinian refugees around the world today. In many cases there are Jewish Israeli towns and cities where their homes used to be. I don't know if a return would be possible that would not involve displacing other peoples from their homes. Although I am appalled at Israeli policies in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem I would not want to see it cease to exist. There has to be a solution to the conflict that would give the dignity and human rights to one group of oppressed people but without taking away the same for the other.
I do not know what the solution is. I do know that God calls on me to be a peacemaker and to do work for what is right. I stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people because they are victims of injustice and God calls on Christians to stand up for justice. That is why I am here and why I plan to continue speaking out and being involved in activism on their behalf.
As tragic and hopeless looking as the situation can be, it is ultimately in His hands.
I will post my pictures after my second post
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