Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas from Bethlehem

“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf

The little town of Bethlehem now lies behind one of Israel's apartheid walls:




This is one of Israel's many illegal apartheid walls. They are used to control Palestinian movement, separate Palestinian communities from each other and from the farm land that supports the communities, and to separate Palestinian and Israeli people from each other. The walls that have been built within the West Bank, as shown on this map, clearly demonstrate the on-going land grabs that Israel has been involved with in the illegally occupied territory. Through the use of these walls, which funnel the movement of Palestinian people towards Israeli controlled check points, Israel effectively "controls all Palestinian borders, all imports and exports, and all movement between towns and cities." Please see:  http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/2014/10/it-is-up-to-us-to-be-change.html, for a view of the wall around Gaza, compete with automated guard tower.

Israel makes a point of identifying itself as a Jewish State, and as such, it discriminates equally against Christian and Muslim Palestinian people, as we see in the quote below:

"Residents of Beit Jala (a neighborhood in Bethlehem) held their last weekly mass Friday (1.24.14) in an area threatened by Israel's separation wall as locals awaited a decision from Israel's Supreme Court on an appeal to halt the land seizure.

"Around 60 Palestinians, internationals and representatives of the Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran churches gathered on an olive tree-covered hilltop in the Cremisan Valley to pray for a halt to Israel's separation wall, which is set to annex the entire lush green area north of Beit Jala."
 From:  http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=667741

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Read about how Bethlehem became a ghetto here:
http://threecupsofnescafe.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas-world-from-bethlehem.html


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"The Holy Land is Coveted.  It is profoundly walled.  Few outsiders realize to what extent."

Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed.  On Foot Through the Holy Lands. National Geographic, December 2014.


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In the spirit of the season, please also visit our post, Jesus of Palestine.

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Merry Christmas from the little ghetto of Bethlehem - See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf~~~  

Take Action!

Write the President: Why does the US support and arm ethnic cleansing?

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A special thank you to Sophia Ponders of, The Truth- Muslims, Christians and Jews Together for Palestine, for help with this post.

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Boycott for Peace! 
 
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“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf
“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf
“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf
“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf

1 comment:

  1. "Palm Sunday celebrations in Beit Jala were brought to an abrupt end, on Sunday, when Israeli troops raided the majority-Christian town near Bethlehem and began threatening locals." Monday March 30, 2015

    http://www.imemc.org/article/71063

    Highlight and right click the URL to open the article.

    ReplyDelete