Transcript The Annexation of Rachel`s Tomb

The Annexation of Rachel’s Tomb:
Stories from behind the Walls
Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem has been a site of pilgrimage for centuries.
Alongside the
tomb lies the
ancient biblical
road connecting
Jerusalem and
Bethlehem.
Used for
centuries by the
Christian
Patriarchs for
the Christmas
Procession, it is
now severed by
the Wall.
Since 2001, the Tomb has become heavily militarised.
Religious settlers have made public their plans to build a new settlement
of 400 apartments at Rachel’s Tomb.
A series of walls have been built in the area around the tomb, making space
for the new settlement. A new road has been built, for Israelis only, to
access the tomb. Although the tomb and the surrounding area lie on
Bethlehem’s land in the West Bank, the Israeli government has officially
annexed this land (September 2006), reclassifying it as part of Israelicontrolled Jerusalem.
The annexation has forced most families to leave the neighbourhood. But
some of them cannot afford to leave and are forced to remain.
These are some of their stories…
Claire’s Story
Claire Anastas is a 38 year-old Catholic mother of four.
Claire’s extended family moved into the three-storey home in 2000. Claire
opened a home-ware shop and her husband Johnny, a mechanic, opened a
workshop in the ground floor. They made a comfortable living in this busy
and affluent neighbourhood of Bethlehem.
With the increased
militarization of the
tomb in 2001, the
family felt the effects of
fear in the community.
Claire was
heartbroken when
none of her son’s
school friends came to
his birthday party.
Now, trapped behind
the Wall, Claire feels
that her family has
been isolated.
“My family has been
left behind. They are
burying us alive.”
The construction
around their home
began at
Christmas 2005.
Six months later it
was finished.
“On the day the
concrete slabs
were erected, the
children came
home from school,
looked out the
window and cried.”
Claire’s house, in the middle of this picture, is facing walls on three sides.
Every window in the house faces the wall.
They have been forced to close their businesses and are now struggling with
huge debts. They have no money to buy a new house somewhere else and
have received no compensation from the Israeli Authorities.
Claire says her children are depressed and fight with each other a
lot. They have nowhere safe to play, so they must stay inside the
house either studying or watching TV.
“We pray that God will help us. This is what gives us
hope. I don’t think God will abandon us.”
Khalil’s Story
a
Khalil is a 63 year-old Christian. His family has lived in Bethlehem for centuries.
He has owned a small grocery store in the Rachel’s Tomb neighbourhood for 40
years.
Khalil made a reasonable income from the store. He didn’t have much
formal education, so he worked hard to provide for his family and was able
to give them a good standard of living.
About five years ago the Israeli
Authorities asked to buy his land.
He refused. Subsequently he
received notification that his land
would be confiscated for security
purposes.
They offered Khalil less than $100
per year compensation. Viewing
this as an insult, he refused.
Later, when he received
notification that the Wall would be
built on his land, he hired a lawyer.
The lawyer filed two petitions
requesting a change in the route of
the Wall. He lost both.
Khalil cannot afford to continue
with the legal battle. It is
expensive.
Every day Khalil would open his shop for the four or five customers who
continued to visit him. But most of the time he spent on his own. He feared
that if he stopped going to his shop, the Israeli Army would take it from him.
An Israeli flag flies from an apartment above the shop where Israeli settlers
have moved in.
The final gap in the
wall has now been
sealed with a gate.
Khalil has been
refused a permit to
access his property.
Yusuf’s Story
Yusuf Awda
Massar is a
56 year-old
Christian father
of nine whose
family has lived
in Bethlehem
for 400 years.
Yusuf has owned this restaurant for 32 years. It was a thriving business
which employed ten staff and provided him with the income needed to
educate his children.
In 2002 he was shot in the leg on his way to the restaurant by an Israeli
soldier. The injury and the increasing militarization of the area forced him
to close the shop. But he re-opened last year because he has so much
debt to pay that he must work even for a very small income.
A watchtower looms over his restaurant. His legal battle in the Israeli court
has yielded no results. With the burden of mounting debt, he feels
pessimistic about his future.
Bassem’s Story
Bassem Khoury is an architect who has lived and worked in this area
since 1980. In the last five years his business has dropped by 80%.
In spite of the difficulty, Bassem refuses to leave his office: “It is here
that I am established. I have a right to be here. We have to resist.”
This wall comes down the middle of Bassem’s street. Most of his
neighbours have left for Europe or America.
The walls surround his home.
He says his family is afraid to go
into their garden because the
soldiers throw stones and shout
insults from the adjacent building
which they occupy.
Bassem’s daughter
was arrested outside
their home for not
carrying her ID.
He feels that
international
churches should do
more to support the
community of
Bethlehem.
Christian Emigration
• Between 1922-47 Christians accounted for
18-20% of the Palestinian population
• They now account for 1.6%
• If this rate continues, Palestinian and
western scholars estimate that the
indigenous Palestinian Christian
population will be on the verge of
extinction within a generation.
What can we do?
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Lobby our governments
Lobby our churches
Visit Bethlehem
Organise church group visits
Support the Palestinian economy
Join Open Bethlehem
www.openbethlehem.org