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St Andrew's Church, Taunton

Colour Supplement

Articles by Christians around the world

Sunday 9 December 2007

Bethlehem 2007

by Janet Fulljames of St. Andrew's Church Taunton

I had envisaged Bethlehem as a small town with shepherds on the surrounding hills! Today greater Bethlehem has a population of about 150,000 people. Travelling from Jerusalem to Bethlehem I was struck by the urban nature of the environment, new settlements and communities running into one another.

During October this year Peter and I spent 4 nights in Bethlehem. We were part of a Christians Aware Group, visiting pilgrimage sites and meeting local Christians in Israel and Palestine. 

Once we arrived at the outskirts of Bethlehem we were confronted by the security barrier or wall separating Jerusalem from Bethlehem, which is part of the Palestinian Territories. This land has been occupied by Israel since 1967 and the Israeli army control everyone moving in and out of the West Bank Palestinian areas. The wall itself is 20 feet high with barbed wire across the top, it is an ugly concrete structure on the Palestinian side, lower with brick work on the Israeli side! The wall has not been built on any recognised boundary, but is on Palestinian land, it is estimated when it is complete it will separate 10% of Palestinian land from the West Bank, effectively making it Israeli territory.  Palestinians need to go through the security barrier daily in order to work, get to schools, or to hospitals. We sat in our coach no more than 30 minutes waiting for permission to go through the barrier, Palestinians can wait for hours and may then be turned back. Our guide, a Christian who lived in East Jerusalem, said families can start queuing with their children at 3.00.a.m. in order to try to get to school or work by seven or eight a.m.   

On the day we visited the Church of the Nativity, the West Bank was volatile, there were protests in many parts of the Palestinian Territories after the death of a Palestinian prisoner. Soldiers in Bethlehem were tense, both Palestinian and Israelis, we thought this was because of the demonstrations, but as we left the church of the Nativity we realised Mr Prodi, the Italian Prime Minister was in Bethlehem visiting Manger Square! We actually held him up inside the Church of St Catherine as we were praying in one of the chapels! This Latin Catholic church, entered through the Church of the Nativity, has become world famous for its Christmas Eve Midnight Mass televised all over the world. The Basilica of the Nativity has the Grotto of the Nativity and the Chapel of the Manger in the crypt. The traditional place of birth is marked with a fourteen pointed silver star. Caves dating back 2,000 years can be seen.  

Arrangements were made to visit Bethlehem University, a Catholic foundation. When we arrived the students were holding a demonstration and not attending lectures. We spoke with several of the students, Muslims and Christians. One student had had his family’s home demolished in order to build the wall, no compensation was given. Yet he said he hoped for peace, he wanted freedom and justice for Israel and Palestine.  

We have been asked did we feel unsafe travelling or walking around. I never felt unsafe walking in Bethlehem. We visited the Deheisha Refugee Camp, set up when Arabs fled from West Jerusalem to Bethlehem in 1946. Today it is home to over 10,000 Palestinians. We walked around the camp with a community leader and spoke to some of the people living there, our presence was welcomed. The Palestinians want the international community to know how difficult their lives are today. In Bethlehem up to 70% of the population live below the poverty line, 60% of the population are unemployed. Thousands of children in the Palestinian Territories have stopped going to school because it is too difficult and dangerous to do so.  

Bethlehem is not a pretty place and it was not a comfortable city to visit. Yet this was the city Jesus was born in. Two thousand years ago it was occupied by the Romans, today it is occupied by Israel. The people long for their independence, for justice and peace, but remain very pessimistic about the immediate prospects for these things. We met some inspiring people working hard for that justice and peace, Muslims and Jews as well as Christians. Please pray for them and for all the people of Bethlehem this Christmas. 

Janet Fulljames.