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December 31, 2005
O Little Town
Magister on the difficulties of Bethlehem
But the reactions drew upon other fears as well. Hanna Nasser, the previous mayor of Bethlehem, a Christian of the current that is close to Fatah, accused the new administration of “spreading Islamic fundamentalism.”
It is a fear that took shape after the electoral victory of Hamas, not only in Bethlehem’s municipal elections, but also in those of other cities of Cisjordan: Nablus, Jenin, Qalqilya. A new style can already be seen in the municipalities where Hamas is installed: Christian women employed there, who are accustomed to shaking everybody’s hand, are held at a distance by the newly elected, for whom physical contact violates Islamic principles.
The general plan of Hamas also includes the imposition of a special tax, called al-jeziya, upon all of the non-Muslim residents in the Palestinian territories. This tax revives the one applied through all of Islamic history to the dhimmi, the second-class Jewish and Christian citizens.
In an interview with Karby Legget, published in the December 23-26 edition of “The Wall Street Journal,” Masalmeh, the leader of the Hamas contingent at the municipal council of Bethlehem, confirmed: “We in Hamas intend to implement this tax someday. We say it openly – we welcome everyone to Palestine but only if they agree to live under our rules.”
Batarseh, the mayor, doesn’t agree. He doesn’t want the tax, and says it will never be introduced.
He knows well that living with Hamas is difficult. But he says he is convinced that “the only way to make Hamas more moderate is to bring them inside the system.”
Posted by Amy Welborn | Permalink
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“We in Hamas intend to implement this tax someday. We say it openly – we welcome everyone to Palestine but only if they agree to live under our rules.”
They welcome Christians to Palestine? As though the indigeous Christians of the ME just arrived the day before yesterday.
But he says he is convinced that “the only way to make Hamas more moderate is to bring them inside the system.”
I wouldn't bet money on that one.
Posted by: Donna V. at Dec 31, 2005 1:58:47 AM
And there's this little piece of information:
In April of 2002, guerillas connected with Fatah, under hot pursuit from Israeli troops, occupied the basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and – a lesser-known fact – other convents and Christian institutions in the city
I don't recall hearing a word about "other convents and Christian institutions" being occupied by guerillas. Just as the MSM somehow neglected to ever fill us in on the fact that, inside the Church of the Nativity, Bibles were used as toliet paper and the church was deliberately desecrated. No, that doesn't quite fit into the "it's always the fault of the Israelis" scenario.
Posted by: Donna V. at Dec 31, 2005 2:08:26 AM
Gee, this story is directly contrary to all other international and American coverage of bethlehem this christmas that I've seen and read.
All stories focused on the intimidation of visitors by having to pass through numerous checkpoints, the imposing 20-25 foot wall that encircles the town and cuts it off from Jerusalem, the impoverishment of the population, the Christians moving away because their businesses foundered over the last several years of virtually no tourists. Bethlehem is entirely dependant on tourism. As Christians moved away, Muslims moved in.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/12/24/bethlehem.ap/
"But Israel's imposing separation barrier at the entrance to town dampened the Christmas spirit and provided a stark reminder of the unresolved conflict.
The gray concrete wall, which Israel erected to keep attackers out of its cities, divides Bethlehem and blocks access to neighboring Jerusalem. The 8-meter-high (25-foot-high) slabs drew as much attention from visitors Saturday as the Church of the Nativity and the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born....
The barrier prevented tourists from walking into town on the biblical-era route likely used by Jesus and Mary. Instead, they were forced to enter through an Israeli checkpoint. Shops, restaurants and businesses that once thrived remained shuttered, split off from the rest of the town by the barrier."
Posted by: Newton at Dec 31, 2005 3:13:31 AM
BETHLEHEM, Dec. 25, 2005 — Christmas in Bethlehem means music and festive celebrations. But as on other days, it also means a strong military presence.
To enter this little city in the West Bank, visitors must pass through a new $8 million security terminal. By some accounts, if Mary and Joseph were to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem today, they'd have to pass through more than a dozen military checkpoints.
Chris Shinn has advice for Americans who travel to Bethlehem regularly. "I always caution people when they say, 'Aw, come to Bethlehem at Christmas time' because it is not necessarily what one's expectations might be," he said.
The entire city is now cut off by the wall — Israel's security barrier. Israeli officials say the 25-foot high wall has been successful in preventing terrorism, but residents of Bethlehem claim it is frightening tourists.
"They saw the wall, they are afraid to come," said Ramsey Jaha, owner of Bethlehem Souvenir Shop. "Maybe they think we have problems inside."
But this has been the most problem-free year since the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian fighting five years ago. This Christmas, an estimated 30,000 visitors flocked to Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, on the site where Jesus is believed to have been born.
That's much better than any of the last five years, but it's less than a third of the number of tourists who visited on an average year in the 1990s. Locals were hoping for a bigger turnout.
Business Remains Slow
On one of the formerly bustling streets of Bethlehem, the wall has closed off the main entrance. Businesses are dying, tourists are staying away. There is just not much Christmas spirit here.
"All the shops, all the restaurants, all the souvenir shops depend — our life depends on the tourists," said Hamsid Khola, owner of the Christmas Tree Restaurant. "Without tourists, Bethlehem closes."
Unemployment is about 60 percent, and the city is bankrupt. The Christian mayor of Bethlehem, Victor Batarseh, calls his city a prison. He's written President Bush and the pope for help and has gone on speaking tours in some states, asking tourists to come and save his city.
"We need them to come here and break these walls by coming into Bethlehem, breaking them not physically but psychologically," Batarseh said.
This season, the people of Bethlehem were asking for tourists, but security is casting a long shadow on their Christmas wish.
ABC News' Wilf Dinnick reported this story for "World News Tonight."
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1441643&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
Posted by: Newton at Dec 31, 2005 3:18:35 AM
The Latin Patriarch, who is on the scene, seems to see things differently from Amy Welborn, Magister and the article she chose to blog.
From the BBC yesterday:
"Bethlehem a 'prison' - patriarch
Michel Sabbah said winning hearts was the key to peace
Israel's most senior Roman Catholic leader has said Bethlehem has become an "immense prison" since the erection of the West Bank barrier.
Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, called for all barriers between people to be dismantled.
He was joined by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, ambassadors from several countries and thousands of Christians for Christmas Eve mass in Bethlehem.
Israel says the barrier is defensive, but Palestinians see it as a land grab.
'Bridges of peace'
The patriarch, who is the pope's representative in the Holy Land, called for the barrier to be removed and said "bridges of peace and love" should be built instead.
He said Palestinians had a right to their own homeland and the Israelis should have security in return.
Archbishop urges Bethlehem visits
But he said those who held power had to realise that they could not rule through violence, but only by winning the hearts of both Palestinians and Israelis.
"Nobody needs checkpoints in the Holy Land," he said"
Posted by: marianne at Dec 31, 2005 3:33:39 AM
Thank God that with Benedict people like Sandro Magister can finally report what they know. Look for more results, folks, from the Ratzinger Papacy. In his address to the Curia at Christmas the Pope spoke favourably of the American Revolution (in contrast, he said, to the second phase of the French Revolution and thus of a constitutional antagonism between Church and State). This was NOT picked up by the reports I saw. But it is the first time to my knowledge that instead of excoriating 'Americanism' a Pope has referred to the distinction between the American and European Revolutions. The Italian Ratzinger-friendly newspaper Il Foglio has been tracking the change of climate as far as political philosophy and theology is concerned in the Vatican. Benedict seems to realise that there is an alternative to Christianity and Marxism (the Liberation theology model), to Christianity and secularism (the European model). This is an incredible responsibility for each and every American Catholic if, if, if, you (I'm a European) realise what this challenge means. What might be happening is a sea-change in how SOME Catholics in Italy, including the present Pope are thinking about the survival of Roman Catholic Christianity.
Posted by: Daria at Dec 31, 2005 3:49:32 AM
Donna V:
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs June/July 2002 (www.wrmea.com)
"In a similar vein, the April 3 Washington Post reported that priests “were forced to give refuge to Palestinian police and militiamen, who shot their way in after running battles with Israeli troops firing from helicopter gunships and from tank-mounted machine guns.”
Subsequent reports described how the Palestinians “forced their way into the Church of the Nativity and barricaded themselves inside” (Jerusalem Post, April 11), and “stormed their way into the shrine” (Reuters, April 14).
By contrast, Eddy Calis of Via Dolorosa reported April 5 in an exclusive interview with lawyer Tony Salman, who was among those caught inside: “They were left with two choices,” Salman explained, “either to be killed in cold blood by the Israeli occupation forces or run for their lives to the church. They chose the latter. This happened right after the Israeli tanks shelled Omar Bin Khattab mosque last Tuesday located just across the church’s square. They ran into the church for protection. For the last 1,700 years, the Church of the Nativity has embraced the poor and the persecuted, and it will keep doing that in these difficult days, too.”
Similarly, Dean Ross Jones of St. George’s College in Jerusalem relayed by e-mail a conversation with a photographer working with an Italian news team who had been present in the church from the beginning, before being evacuated. The photographer related how he was called to one of the secondary doors: “A group of 30 to 40 Palestinians were trying to get in,” he recalled, “some armed and some not, with the plea, ‘Please help us. Only the Church can save us now. They are going to kill us.’ They were allowed to enter with the condition that the guns not be used.”
This version was confirmed by Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, who announced that same day, “The basilica, a church, is a place of refuge for everybody, even fighters, as long as they lay down their weapons.”
While Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported the Catholic cleric’s words on April 3, at the beginning of the standoff, the American press did not immediately pick them up. Not until April 20, in fact, did The Washington Post’s Craig Whitlock report that, even though the gunmen had shot off a lock, they had been both expected and welcomed by the clergy inside."
Posted by: Rector Brown at Dec 31, 2005 6:28:41 AM
"Bibles were used as toliet paper"
Donna,
the reason the MSM didn't report this canard is that anyone who has ever been in any Catholic church in the world knows it is a preposterous allegation. Preposterous.
Posted by: Liam C. at Dec 31, 2005 7:37:51 AM
Anyone who thinks the Israelis are building "the wall" in order to protect themselves hasn't spent time on the ground in the Holy Land living among Palestinian Christians and dealing with the Israeli occupation as I have. It is a "land grab" as stated above. As a former dispensationalist missionary (therefore very very pro-Israel) who moved to Israel to see what "God was doing there" and to spread the Gospel there I can only say my two years in the Holy Land was quite an eye opener.
Posted by: William at Dec 31, 2005 8:51:56 AM
My, my, I can't imagine
Posted by: Rod Dreher at Dec 31, 2005 9:54:41 AM
My, my, I can't imagine why the Israelis would feel the need to build a wall between themselves and Palestinian territories. It also escapes my ability to comprehend why Israeli soldiers would have been chasing armed Palestinian men (re: the Church of the Nativity incident). Perhaps the lads were on an innocent elk-hunting expedition.
Posted by: Rod Dreher at Dec 31, 2005 9:55:43 AM
The Islamic factions will use the Church as sanctuary whenever they need it, and then turn around and treat christians to dhimmitude. To lionize the Palestinians due to the sins of Israel is a mistake we see with other polarizing choices. Satan is at both ends, gang, trying to pull apart the peaceful center:
Homosexual activists vs. Rev. Fred Phelps (of God hates Fags fame)
Communism vs. Capitalism ( Materialism)
Pro-Abortion activists vs. clinic bombers and assassins
Fruity Cathoicism vs. Sedevacantism
Zionism vs. Arab Islamicism
We are continually being bombarded with false extremes, why not so in the Middle East? And each extreme not only attracts some to itself, but repells others to the opposite extreme.
Posted by: St. Jimbob of the Apokalypse at Dec 31, 2005 10:12:39 AM
"No, that doesn't quite fit into the "it's always the fault of the Israelis" scenario."
Thank you, Donna V!
Posted by: Lynne at Dec 31, 2005 10:50:13 AM
"No, that doesn't quite fit into the "it's always the fault of the Israelis" scenario."
Thank you, Donna V!
Posted by: Lynne at Dec 31, 2005 10:50:52 AM
Hamas is increasingly using Christian officials as a "front." And anyone who thinks they can make a deal with these folks is seriously deluded.
Posted by: Mary Jane at Dec 31, 2005 11:16:02 AM
marianne, the Latin Patriarch has to say those things. Or, they'll kill him. The Christians of Palestine are dhimmis now. So much for the ecumenical dreams of the Left. It's over in the Holy Land.
Now we'll all get to see what that means to be a Chrisitan living under Islam. The MSM could ignore the persecutions when it was far away in Indonesia or Bangladesh. They'll have a much harder time when it's Bethlehem.
It won't be long before all Christians flee the Territories, and we're stuck with Taliban Part Deux in the Levant. Radical Islam is always searching for territory, some sliver of land they can claim for the Caliphate. They lost it in Afghanistan, and will soon gain one in Palestine. It's a disaster for the region. Israel, however, will survive. It's Egypt I'm worried about. I don't blame the Israelis for building the wall; I just wish they had grabbed more land for civilization, and left the rest to the Islamists.
Posted by: TheLeague at Dec 31, 2005 11:39:56 AM
I'm always amazed that devoutly orthodox fellow American Catholics refuse to listen to the voice of the devoutly orthodox Catholics of the Holy Land as they attempt to tell their story of what life is like under Israeli occupation. Are we so arrogant that we think we know what's gone on in the Holy Land better than Christians who live there?
Posted by: William at Dec 31, 2005 1:03:31 PM
Regarding the "ridiculous" assertion that Bibles were used as toliet papoer:
"On April 24, the Jerusalem Post reported on the damage that the PA forces were causing:
Three Armenian monks, who had been held hostage by the Palestinian gunmen inside Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, managed to flee the church area via a side gate yesterday morning. They immediately thanked the soldiers for rescuing them.
They told army officers the gunmen had stolen gold and other property, including crucifixes and prayer books, and had caused damage....
One of the monks, Narkiss Korasian, later told reporters: "They stole everything, they opened the doors one by one and stole everything....They stole our prayer books and four crosses...they didn't leave anything. Thank you for your help, we will never forget it."
Israeli officials said the monks said the gunmen had also begun beating and attacking clergymen.41
When the siege finally ended, the PA soldiers left the church in terrible condition:
The Palestinian gunmen holed up in the Church of the Nativity seized church stockpiles of food and "ate like greedy monsters" until the food ran out, while more than 150 civilians went hungry. They also guzzled beer, wine, and Johnnie Walker scotch that they found in priests' quarters, undeterred by the Islamic ban on drinking alcohol. The indulgence lasted for about two weeks into the 39-day siege, when the food and drink ran out, according to an account by four Greek Orthodox priests who were trapped inside for the entire ordeal....
The Orthodox priests and a number of civilians have said the gunmen created a regime of fear.
Even in the Roman Catholic areas of the complex there was evidence of disregard for religious norms. Catholic priests said that some Bibles were torn up for toilet paper, and many valuable sacramental objects were removed. "Palestinians took candelabra, icons and anything that looked like gold," said a Franciscan, the Rev. Nicholas Marquez from Mexico."
http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp490.htm
Of course, the source is the Jerusalem Post, which means that it will be automatically dismissed by many of the posters here. Because there is absolutely no pro-Palestinian bias on the part of Rueters, CNN, the BBC, the NYT, etc and it's foolish to believe there is. Just as there is no anti-Catholic bias whatsoever in the MSM.
Posted by: Donna V. at Dec 31, 2005 1:37:28 PM
William: Since the prospect of Christians having to pay a special tax in Palestine apparently fails to disturb you, what about the story at the link provided at the bottom of Magister's current story:
"He had informed Elisa Pinna of its contents a year ago: "For the Christians here, life is full of abuses of power and humiliations. Those in charge are the ones who steal the land. The Muslims appropriate our goods and property through what can really and properly be called fraud, which is committed with the complicity of functionaries connected to the Palestinian Authority and its militias, the tanzim. Lawlessness reigns in Bethlehem. Let's take the case of Dr. Samir Asfour. He had inherited from his father nine thousand square meters near the Tomb of Rachel. But then a Muslim appeared with a falsified document, laying claim to the land. And naturally, the register for the district of Bethlehem sided with him."
And again: "There are frequent instances of vandalism against the churches, from which they carry away the crucifixes. They destroyed the statue of the Virgin Mary in the convent garden of the Salesian sisters. They have violated some of the tombs in the Christian cemetery of Bethlehem. Graffiti have appeared defaming Hanan Ashrawi, the former spokesman of the OLP, who is guilty of being a Christian and a woman."
But that's not all. The dossier reports the case of Rawan William Mansur, a 16-year-old girl from Beit Sahur, who in the spring of 2003 was raped by four Fatah militiamen. None of them was arrested. The family was forced to emigrate to Jordan.
In 2002, two sisters of the Amre family, 17 and 19 years old, were executed by gunshot by a group of men close to the Palestinian Authority. The accusation was prostitution. But the autopsy revealed two things: first, they were virgins; and second, they had been tortured by having lit cigarettes applied to their genitals before they were executed.
In Bethlehem, there is a Christian institute called "La Crèche" (The Manger), which cares for newborns abandoned by their parents. "They are the offspring of illegal relations cut off violently by the sharia, the Islamic law that reigns supreme in the refugee camps," the institute's directors explained to Elisa Pinna. "Their number is growing. None of these children can be adopted by couples outside the country. It is prohibited; the Palestinian Authority doesn't want it. They must remain here, in Bethlehem. They must remain Palestinian and Muslim."
__________
Has it ever occurred to you that many Christians might be afraid to speak up? If I and my family were living in a neighborhood controlled by the Mob, I wouldn't be eager to badmouth the Mob to a reporter. In fact, I might sing their praises, or say "Problems? What problems?"
Posted by: Donna V. at Dec 31, 2005 1:47:13 PM
And, in the meantime, 8 people were killed and 45 injured by a bomb which went off in a Christian neighborhood in Indonesia:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4570912.stm
It happened near a pork-sellers stall at a market.
Gee, I wonder why all these bombs and murders of Christians are happening in Indonesia. It can't be because radical Muslims, whether they are in Palestine, Kashmir, the Sudan, Thailand, or Indonesia, have a serious problem with non-Islamic religions. They must be protesting American and Israeli policies.
Posted by: Donna V. at Dec 31, 2005 1:58:27 PM
Donna, you are of course correct. The Jerusalem Post should not be expected to give a balanced view of what’s going on with Palestinian Christians any more than one would expect to get a balanced view on evangelicals or Catholics from the NY Times. Nice try hoping to nip that in the bud. Nonetheless, you are exactly right.
I never said there are not concerns among Catholic Palestinians about their future under the Palestinian Authority. They will need to lobby and vote for continued representation in the PA. BTW, the reason the P.A. faces a more radical threat is because of the lack of anything tangible in terms of improved autonomy offered by the Israelis.
With much experience there I have never met a Palestinian Christian (Catholic, Evangelical or Orthodosx) who would prefer Israeli rule over P.A. rule. Not one. And the idea that they wouldn’t “talk” out of fear of retribution is ludicrous. The Christians don’t need to “talk”. One only need to spend time with them and one will see first hand what life under Israeli occupation is like. Talk to Americans who’ve been forbidden from attending Easter Mass with Palestinians for no reason at all except that Israeli soldiers didn’t want them to. Talk to Americans who’ve been with pregnant Palestinian women who’ve lost babies at birth due to uneccessary detainment at a checkpoint. BTW, these American of whom I refer are not far out leftist trying to save the world. They are just ordinary Americans who happened to see some eyeopening harsh retribuation taken against Palestinian friends.
In order to get some real insight, assuming you’re open to it, I would suggest listening to Father Peter Vasko at this site on EWTN’s website http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?pgnu=3&SeriesID=-6892288 He has more and more recent experience among the Christians of the Holy Land than you or I.
Posted by: William at Dec 31, 2005 2:33:15 PM
William: You're talking like the Israelis are simply acting out of pure maliciousness, as if they erected the wall simply out of a preverse desire to keep Christians from going to Mass or to cause women to miscarry.
You are forgetting the small matter of suicide bombers who have blown up buses and bars and restaurants and killed hundreds of innocent men, women, and children and maimed many others for life. Did you ever, in you time in the Holy Land, ever talk to or try to see the Israeli side of things? It doesn't sound like it. The Israelis have had good cause to hold up ambulances at check-points: Palestinian terrorists have been known to smuggle explosives in Red Crescent ambulances. And there have been more than a few female suicide bombers hiding Semtex under their robes.
Answer me this: Do you, or do you not believe Palestinian suicide bombings are morally reprehensible? Just say "Yes" or "No." No "They're awful, BUT,..." followed by a page of justifications and rationalizations and finger-pointing.
Like any country, Israel's first responsiblity is the welfare and safety of it's own citizens. If holding up people at a checkpoint delays a Mass, but keeps a suicide bomber from getting onto a bus and murdering 20 people, I have to frankly say I don't care. The wall is clearly saving many lives. If Palestinians want it to come down, then they'll have to stop sending their people to murder Israelis.
Imagine this scenario: say radical Mexican groups with the aim of returning the American Southwest Mexico (remember, it was Mexican territory to begin with - us Anglos are "illegal occupiers") began sending suicide bombers over the border and they began blowing themselves up in malls and restaurants all over Texas and Arizona and SoCal. Imagine that these bombings were supported by a large majority of the Mexican population who would gather in the streets and celebrate wildly everytime a large number of "Anglos" were killed in the bombings. Imagine if the Mexican government were largely made up of the same people who were funding, recruiting, and sending the terrorists over the border.
How would most Americans react to that, do you think? I suspect our response would make the Israelis look like absolute pantywaists.
BTW: Does Sandro Magester work for the J-Post? Is he in the pay of the Israelis? You've never once addressed the sufferings (which are much worse than missing mass) he documents. What Rawan William Mansur, the Amre sisters, and the children of La Creche go though is less important that the fact that the awful Israelis are not letting people get to Mass, I guess. We have our priorities.
I never said there are not concerns among Catholic Palestinians about their future under the Palestinian Authority. They will need to lobby and vote for continued representation in the PA
Yeah, lobbying and voting have always been known to have a lot of pull with the Hamas crowd. Lord help us.
Posted by: Donna V. at Dec 31, 2005 4:06:25 PM
The patriarch, who is the pope's representative in the Holy Land, called for the barrier to be removed and said "bridges of peace and love" should be built instead.
Boy, am I glad the Church holds no secular power any more. Reading thoughts like that is a real tonic. But then, such fat-headed bloviating idiocy** wasn't characteristic of the Church when it DID hold secular power.
** Assuming that he really means it. He may not, for reasons that are too obvious to require elaboration.
Posted by: Victor Morton at Dec 31, 2005 4:22:32 PM
William tells us:
And the idea that they wouldn’t “talk” out of fear of retribution is ludicrous.
Well, here comes Zionist tool Sandro Magister with his inconvienent facts again:
A recent and direct documentation of this crescendo of hostility is found in a book by Elisa Pinna, an expert on international religious questions for the news agency ANSA: "Tramonto del cristianesimo in Palestina [The Twilight of Christianity in Palestine]," published in March of 2005.
The turning point – Elisa Pinna explains – came with the introduction of a new element into the second intifada: Islamic fundamentalism.
Previously, the Palestinian movement was of a predominantly nationalistic character. And this character was due in large part to the contribution of Christian Arabs belonging to a refined and Westernized élite, which was not without tinges of Marxism. The guerilla leaders George Habbash, Wadi Haddad, and George Hawatmeh were Christians. But the leading proponents of the moderate and pragmatic wing, which supported the Oslo accords, were also Christian: Hanan Ashrawi, Hanna Seniora, and Afif Safia.
But now the latter of these figures are in the shadows and under threat. Even the death of Yasser Arafat has worked to the disadvantage of the Christians.
And they are emigrating. In the historic "Christian triangle" formed by Bethlehem and the two adjacent villages of Beit Jala and Beit Sahur, three quarters of the population were baptized Christians half a century ago. Today the Christians in Bethlehem have been reduced to 6,500 out of 35,000 inhabitants, and they have fallen by half in Beit Jala and Beit Sahur. Everywhere the sound of the church bells is drowned out by the blaring loudspeakers of the muezzins.
But the idea that 6,500 Christians living among 35,000 Muslims might be afraid to speak up is ludicrous.
I have no doubt, BTW, that Christians in the Holy Land might indeed have legitimate gripes about the Israelis. Israelis are human beings too (ones who are not famous for tact and politeness), and they live in an exceptionally difficult and harrowing situation. Mistakes have been made, and Israeli mistakes get put under a microscope and examined and condemned and blared across the world in a way that few other people's are.
Palestinian Christians have been operating under the illusion that in a Palestinian state, religious differences would be secondary to the bonds of common Arab ethnicity they share with Muslims. I suspect that in the coming years, those Christians still remaining in Palestine will look back wistfully to the days of Israeli occupation.
Of course, no matter how badly they're treated by their fellow Arabs, the Western media and many Western Christians will continue to blame the Jews, of course.
Posted by: Donna V. at Dec 31, 2005 4:43:03 PM
Donna:
Well, the Jews do secretly run the world, don't w ... uh ... they?
Posted by: Victor Mortonstein at Dec 31, 2005 4:45:56 PM
