Transcript Bethlehem Today: A State of Emergency In Bethlehem, we are proud of our rich heritage of religious diversity.

Bethlehem Today: A State of Emergency
In Bethlehem, we are proud of our rich heritage of religious diversity. Christian
and Muslim - together, we are Palestinians. It is our shared Palestinian culture
and identity that has ensured the survival of Christianity in the Middle East to
this day.
This presentation has been made in response to the recent accusations by the Israel
lobby of anti-Christian discrimination and abuse in Palestinian society. At Open
Bethlehem, we feel we must inform the international community of the real threat to the
Christian population in Palestine – the military occupation of our land, and the crippling
poverty that his has caused. This presentation explains how Israeli policy has left
Bethlehem in a state of captivity and economic strangulation, from which those with the
means to do so, would understandably flee. As a civil society organisation committed to
the survival of Bethlehem’s historical diversity, we represent the interests of all
Bethlehem’s inhabitants – Christians and Muslims alike.
Bethlehem in numbers
District Population: 170,000
Urban Population: 75,000 (inc.14,000 in refugee camps)
Refugee camps: 3
Churches: 22
Mosques: 11
Christian Emigration - Facts
37% of the Palestinian Christian population were forced
out of Palestine in 1948 and now form part of the
Palestinian Diaspora.*
•20% of the remaining Christian population emigrated
between 1967 and 1994.*
•Between 2000-2004, a further 357 Christian families (10%
of Christian population) left Bethlehem. (Source: OCHA)
•From being 10% of the population of Palestine in 1917,
Christians now account for less than 1.5%.
* Source: Dr Bernard Sabella, Bethlehem University
“There are few options for residents once they lost their jobs in tourism.
Seeing few prospects locally, approximately one-tenth of Bethlehem’s
Christian population has left Bethlehem for other countries since September
2000… This economic emigration will have a long term impact on the multicultural character that has defined the city of Bethlehem for centuries.”
(UN Report December 2004)
Separated from Jerusalem
Separated from Jerusalem
The main artery between Bethlehem and Jerusalem is now closed. This main
road previously sustained a vibrant economy in this area. Since the wall was
built here, 1.5k inside the Bethlehem district, the area has become a ‘ghost
town’ as businesses have been forced to close.
Jerusalem and Bethlehem have always formed part of the same diocese. The two communities
have been historically interdependent through kinship, trade, education, medical and social
services. The imposed separation presents a grave challenge to the survival of both communities
and threatens to erase centuries-old traditions.
Some historic Christian rituals, such as the colourful Easter Procession from Jerusalem to
Bethlehem are already extinct.
A Diocese Divided
Jerusalem and Bethlehem have always formed part of the same diocese. The two
communities have been historically interdependent through kinship, trade, education,
medical and social services. The imposed separation presents a grave challenge to the
survival of both communities and threatens to erase centuries-old traditions.
Some historic Christian rituals, such as the colourful Easter Procession from Jerusalem
to Bethlehem are already extinct.
Gates and Permits
The sign on this gate
reads ‘Welcome to
Jerusalem’. The gate
is in fact 1.5k inside
Bethlehem. It is the
gate that has been
built in the Wall to
control access for
Palestinians wishing
to enter Jerusalem.
Palestinians need to
obtain permits to
travel through this
gate. Permits are
issued rarely and
often only in special
circumstances.
The Permits System
• Palestinians must apply for permits from the Israeli
authorities if they wish to enter Jerusalem, travel on ‘bypass’ roads, cross the Wall to work on their land, or to
leave the country.
• Permits are not guaranteed to those who apply.
• During Christmas 2003, 2,785 permits were granted to
Bethlehem Christians, a number unable to satisfy all
Christians wanting to travel to Jerusalem. Applicants had
no control over the dates on which they were allowed to
enter – an Orthodox Christian could receive a permit to
enter on 24 December rather than on 7 January, the
Orthodox Christmas Day.” UN Report 2004
• “The permit system for the Closed Zone is administered in an
arbitrary and humiliating manner. Permits are frequently withheld,
even for landowners and residents of the Closed Zone, or granted
for short periods only. The failure to grant permits to farmers to
cultivate their lands will result in neglect and ultimate decay of fertile
agricultural land. The permit system has also drastically interfered
with education, health care and family life. This system, which
subjects Palestinian freedom of movement to the whim of the
Occupying Power, creates anger, anxiety and humiliation among the
population. “(UNHCHR)
• “It has been widely reported across the international media that
thousands of pilgrims from around the world flocked to Jerusalem for
this year's Holy Week and Easter celebrations. While this unique
graced opportunity must have been wonderful for them, Christians
living only five miles away in Bethlehem were denied this
opportunity to practice their faith by the Israeli military authorities.”
Brother Jack Curran, Vice President of Development, Bethlehem
University, 17 April 2006.
The Wall around
Bethlehem
This map shows how the route of the Wall
and the system of closures, completely
isolate urban Bethlehem and cut it off from
its agricultural land and water resources in
the east.
It also shows the way Bethlehem District
has been turned into two isolated ghettoes
as the urban area (in the east) is trapped
between the wall and the settler-only roads
to the east and south (see blue arrows).
There will be two gates out of the urban
core to the rest of the West Bank, and two
gates for access to the green land.
The expectation is that Bethlehem’s greenland area, which sits on a valuable aquifer,
and where many settlements are located,
will eventually be annexed into Israel.
In many parts of urban Bethlehem,
especially in the north, the wall dips so
far into residential areas that it leaves
no room for growth, and towers over
the daily lives of the local population.
The impact of the Wall on local families
Azar Hwash is a committee member of
the Greek Orthodox Housing Project
which established a housing complex
near Shepherd’s Fields in 1996. He is
pictured (right) laying the first stone.
Homes were offered to Bethlehem’s
poorest Christian families. Azar’s own
family qualified for a new home. He
lives in a small apartment with his
children and grandchildren.
The housing project includes a
vegetable plot and a children’s play
area. Nine homes of the 15 planned
were built by 2002. Azar’a family, like
the others, anxious to have their new
home, moved in even before the
interiors were completed.
On 25 October 2002, the families woke up to find the
Israeli army slapping demolition orders on to each
building. They were told the houses lay in the path of a
planned road. The families took their case to the Israeli
courts and the demolition was stopped. But on 25
October 2003, the soldiers came again with demolition
orders, and again in 2004. Azar says: “Last year (2005)
they didn’t come, but night after night, convoys of
soldiers cruise around here. We are afraid to go out
after dark. They have come and taken our building
materials several times. We are afraid to confront them.
We would end up in jail.”
On the hillside opposite the project,
where an ancient olive grove once
stood, there is a new Israeli military
post. The families don’t know what will
happen next. The new road is snaking
towards their homes. They don’t know
how close the wall will come or if they
will have to go to court again. “It looks
like we will be swallowed up,” says
Najia, Azar’s wife, “It is so stressful. All
we can do is keep trying to live
normally and hope for the best.”
Part of the wall in northern Bethlehem. Acres of olive groves lie outside the Wall.
Settlements
Bethlehemites can see cranes
across the skyline busily building
new homes for Jews coming from
Israel and around the world, while
Bethlehem’s population is forced to
leave.
The wall weaves around the major
settlement blocs.
Har Homa (pictured) is developing a
‘tourist village’, to cater for tourism
to Bethlehem.
Har Homa settlement was built
rapidly between 1997 and 2000,
eradicating a ‘protected’ forest on
the hill known as Jebel Abu Ghneim.
Chronology of a settlement
Jebel Abu Ghneim – 1997
Har Homa settlement – 2003
There are 27 settlements in the Bethlehem district surrounding the town . There has
been a concentrated effort to get settlers moved into this area. There are now approx.
73,000 settlers living on Bethlehem’s land. This land has either been taken by force or
acquired by coercion. This is a view of Gilo settlement in the north.
Many families who live close to settlements have found themselves stranded between
the wall and Jerusalem, without access to education and medical services. In many
cases, without Jerusalem residency rights, they will face eviction from their homes.
Many houses have already received demolition orders.
Har Homa settlement
‘By-pass’ roads
Bethlehem is not just surrounded by settlements and walls. There is also a network of
Israeli-only roads which cut through Bethlehem’s land. Israel enforces access and
building restrictions on a buffer-zone area in the vicinity of these roads.
“Trips of a few kilometers, where they are possible, take hours, following lengthy
detours to avoid the areas surrounding Israeli settlements and settlers’ roads
(known as "bypass roads"), which connect the settlements to each other and to
Israel and which are prohibited to Palestinians. With the spread of settlements
and bypass roads throughout the Occupied Territories, the prohibited areas have
multiplied. “ Amnesty International
Vital Bethlehem landmarks will lie outside the wall. The Cremisan convent and vineyard
has been a central part of Bethlehem’s history, culture and economy. The surrounding
forest – Bethlehem’s only surviving recreational forest - will soon lie beyond the wall.
Bethlehem’s terraces – one of the best examples of this type of
andscaping, and which has been preserved by the Bethlehem
Heritage Centre, will have the Wall running through them.
Families Separated
Families Separated
Ten-year-old Ashjan Huzaibi lives in the village of Al Khas. In October she hadn’t seen her grandmother who lives in the neighbouring village, Al Nouman, for four months, because Israel has built a
road and fence slicing through the land between the villages. Israel has declared that Al Nouman is a
suburb of Jerusalem, meaning that the villagers cannot enter. The road was built to service the rapidl
expanding settlement of Har Homa, one of the settlements in the ‘Jerusalem Envelope’.
The Wall and its watchtowers slicing through Bethlehem.
The Wall at Aida Camp
The wall cuts deep into residential areas, even surrounding the
heavily populated refugee camps.
Refugee Camps are home to Palestinians who fled what is now Israel and West
Jerusalem in 1948 and 1967. Their plight remains unresolved. The building of
the wall close to Aida camp prohibits any possibility of expansion and makes
life even more difficult for those living in this already overcrowded space.
Rubbish gathers by the wall in Aida Camp. Refuse collection has been severely
hampered by closures at roadblocks, checkpoints and the Wall.
Part of this cemetery is lost behind the Wall.
Rachel’s Tomb, a small, attractive shrine to Jacob’s wife and a significant Bethlehem landmark, has
become a military outpost. The shrine which is sacred to the three faiths is now forbidden to
Bethlehem’s Christians and Muslims.
Homes and businesses around the tomb have been confiscated or bought
illegally. The Israeli government officially approved the annexation of Rachel’s
Tomb in 2002.
Most families have left the area around the tomb. Constant intimidation by the army and
isolation from the rest of Bethlehem forced them to leave. But this Catholic family (girls
pictured) cannot afford to leave. Their home and business is in the Rachel’s Tomb area
and they have no income to support a move.
Route of the Wall along northern Bethlehem which separates Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
The map also shows the section of the wall which forms a corridor along the main road.
The corridor extends southwards further into he city to annex Rachel’s Tomb.
A section of the corridor leading to Rachel’s Tomb – this new road is used by settlers and
Israelis to access the tomb.
The road to Jerusalem before closure. Since the wall was built here, 72 out of 80 local
businesses have closed. (UN Report 2004)
This Greek Orthodox kindergarten was forced to close because of its proximity to the
wall close to Rachel’s Tomb – the area was made into a military zone with a constant
army patrol
One of the most dangerous new developments that threaten the city: A
new settlement around Rachel’s Tomb (May 2006)
The building site for a new settlement in the heart of
Bethlehem at Rachel’s Tomb. (May 2006)
It is feared that Bethlehem will become another Hebron, where
extremist religious settlers have created a settlement in the
middle of the city, terrorising local communities and driving
them out of their homes.
Hebron Old City Settlement
Netting catches rubbish thrown down by settlers who
live in pre-fab buildings on top of Palestinian homes.
Streets blocked off to Palestinians where settlers
have squatted buildings, protected by army.
Plans for the settlement at Rachel’s Tomb
"We've succeeded in saving Rahel's Tomb," says Kever Rahel Fund founder and
director Miriam Adani.
Adani was responding to the decision by the High Court of Justice last week to
dismiss petitions by 18 local Palestinians, together with the Bethlehem and Beit Jala
municipalities, against construction of a bypass road leading to the compound.
The new route will annex Rahel's Tomb to Jerusalem's municipal boundaries and
place it within a segment of the planned "envelope" barrier being constructed along
the city's southern perimeter.
Mariam Adani, who established the Kever Rahel fund in 1999, reveals that for her and
her supporters, the Court's decision is also the first step towards the establishment of
a Jewish community around the Rahel's Tomb compound. In the past few years, she
claims, several houses in this area have been purchased from their Arab owners, who
have since left the area and perhaps the country. She adamantly declined to give any
details regarding these deals.
She added that "several hundred apartments" were due to be constructed on the site,
but that most of the civilians will arrive only after the barrier is completed. “
Extracts from The Jerusalem Post, 11 February 2005
A view of the walls around Rachel’s Tomb and the site of the planned settlement.
This is Bethlehem today.
Open Bethlehem
Open Bethlehem is committed to the survival of Bethlehem as an open and
diverse society where Muslims and Christians have lived as a community for
centuries. The creation of a new settlement in the middle of Bethlehem by
extremist Jewish settlers is an alarming development which can only lead to
further generations of conflict and oppression.
Open Bethlehem works in co-operation with the local Bethlehem government
and wider civil society to challenge this dismal future and to keep the city alive.
We are reaching out to the international community, Christian and non-Christian
to intervene in this crisis by supporting us and the people of Bethlehem in our
mission to keep the city open. Join us in this campaign. Visit our website and
find out how you can become involved in this historic project to preserve a world
heritage site and the home of the oldest living Christian community on earth.
www.openbethlehem.org