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NEWS FROM BETHLEHEM The congregation and pastor of the Lutheran Christmas Church, Bethlehem, have founded and continue to support ministries that give life to their community, surrounded by the 24-fot-high Israeli security wall. Since the early 1990s, they have worked to provide basic educational and health facilities for their community. Destruction May Be…Continuity Shall Be: On April 2, 2002 the Israeli invasion of Bethlehem caused much destruction to the Lutheran compound and to the ICB building, furniture and equipment. In this context the staff and beneficiaries of the ICB were determined to never give up on Bethlehem. The ICB is committed to continue to build and rebuild, to train and educate, to empower, to create life in the midst of despair, and to continue to call for justice and reconciliation in the midst of conflict and violence.
Bright Stars of Bethlehem - for the children of Bethlehem: In an environment of increased violence, the project focuses on expressing the emotions, fears, thoughts and visions of the young people. The ICB developed the Bright Stars project with a creative, holistic approach and a large variety of techniques to motivate and stretch the children’s imaginations and possibilities. Children gather in art, music, sports, communication and environmental clubs according to their talents and gifts. The children are encouraged to develop these gifts and gifts. The hope is that, during the process, they discover themselves as Bright Stars in their fields of endeavor. Read more about all the programs of the International Center of Bethlehem and about their courageous story on their web site: www.annadwa.org Bethlehem Media Center: “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” The BMC aims at empowering the Palestinians to tell their stories, promoting the human face of the Palestinian people and their religious communities and encouraging better and more balanced media coverage on the Palestine/Israel issue. Visit Bethlehem Media Center for the most recent news. Palestinian News Network: In the United States it is difficult to access reliable news sources to find out what is happening in the Palestinian Territories. The Palestinian News Network is another source for news in the Palestinian Territories. Bright Stars of Bethlehem supports work of the Lutheran Christmas Church and the International Center of Bethlehem. Bright Stars of Bethlehem, NFP (BSB) is a Lutheran-based, ecumenically-oriented institution. Located in the Washington, DC, it was founded in 2003 to support the ministry of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem through fundraising, awareness-building, and education. Donations to the work of the Lutheran Christmas Church may be made online on their web site: http://www.brightstarsbethlehem.org/ RECENT NEWS View a video clip of Christmas in Bethlehem Palestine News
Network (PNN) (Bethlehem) Najib Farag The Mayor of Bethlehem, Dr. Victor Batarsa, held his traditional Christmas season kick-off press conference and stressed that "the birthplace of Jesus Christ is in its worst economic, political and tourist conditions in those 2,000 years." Dr. Batarsa continued
in Bethlehem, "The dire situation is due to the procedures and
practices of the occupation that continues to increase in severity in
and around the city." He stressed that the Wall is being built on Bethlehem lands, isolating some 7,000 dunams [Editor's note: a dunam is roughly one quarter of an acre] of its territory, including the entire northern region which constitutes 15 percent of Bethlehem. The Israelis annexed it to the Jerusalem that they now control. "This has had a negative impact on everyone and a catastrophic effect on many. Hundreds of farmers have lost their lands and without that income the tourist industry becomes even more important, but that has suffered as well." The Israelis do tell people it is unsafe to come to Bethlehem, and anywhere in the West Bank, directly and through guide-books, but do not say that the danger is from the Israeli army. Only the soldiers at the checkpoints will periodically admit to that, telling a foreign PNN editor to "stay away just for tonight," when a major Israeli invasion was conducted last year. An Israeli guidebook for foreign tourists read in large print, "DO NOT STAY IN ARAB AREAS OVERNIGHT." Shopkeepers are
desperate to sell their dusty olive wood carvings and traditional nativity
scenes. There is little practical hope in Bethlehem that the situation
will improve this year. More tourists than came last year to Manger
Square for Christmas Eve day festivities, but most were bused in and
bused out without eating in the restaurants or staying in the hotels.
The buses were Israeli. The Mayor joked bitterly that "Santa Claus will not make it to Bethlehem this year." The 50,000 dollars approved by the Palestinian government for Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, for decorations and beautification, has not yet reach the city, despite being told that the funds had been deposited into the municipality's bank account. Batarsa said, "Despite all of the Israeli practices, our people still have hope for a better future and still have the ability to deliver a message of love and tolerance; the Christmas message to the whole world. And our people still have hope to live in peace on the land of Palestine while welcoming the world." The tree in front of the Church of Nativity will still be lit on the 15th, as it has been every year possible. |
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Israeli Peace Groups Along with Palenstinians working for peace in the region, there are many Israeli Peace Groups, including: Rabbis for Human
Rights— Gush Shalom—The primary aim of Gush Shalom is to influence Israeli public opinion and lead it towards peace and conciliation with the Palestinian people: www.gush-shalom.org Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions—a non-violent, direct-action group originally established to oppose and resist Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in the Occupied Territories: www.icahd.org/eng/ New Profile—"We, a group of feminist women and men, are convinced that we need not live in a soldiers' state. Today, Israel is capable of a determined peace politics. It need not be a militarized society:" www.newprofile.org/english Bat Shalom is an Israeli national feminist grassroots organization of Jewish and Palestinian Israeli women working together for a genuine peace grounded in a just resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict, respect for human rights, and an equal voice for Jewish and Arab women within Israeli society. www.batshalom.org The Foundation for Middle East Peace has many additional links to peace organizations on its web site:www.fmep.org |
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