December 20, 2008

• A Bethlehem Christmas

  
  

  Christmas under Occupation

  By Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh – Bethlehem

  http://palestinechronicle.com/

   

  When
  I look out the balcony of the faculty lounge at Bethlehem University I
  hear the constant hammering of the construction in the settlement that
  separates us from Jerusalem and I see Israeli settlements built on
  Palestinian lands surrounding Bethlehem on three sides. Every two
  weeks, Jewish settlers “visit” the hill on the fourth side (called Ush
  Ghrab) that they have set their eyes on. Yet, I hear the US media is
  focused on other things including the weighty matter of dodging shoes.

   

  After
  living 29 years in the US, it is not easy to be living in Bethlehem
  area especially this Christmas season.  Life can be at times hard,
  exhilarating, depressing, fun, and hopeful. Israel occupied this area
  in 1967, but the landscape had begun to change well before that. In
  1948, Bethlehem became home to thousands of Palestinian refugees after
  more than 750,000 people were driven from their homes in what became
  Israel. Palestinians were forbidden to return, and three cramped
  refugee camps (Dheisheh, Azza, and Aida) add to the local migrants from
  villages whose lands were taken over.  
   
  Since
  2002, we have faced the enormous human costs of a massive, concrete
  segregation wall.  The wall zigzags around Bethlehem, placing fertile
  Palestinian agricultural lands on the "Israeli side" and in many cases
  goes straight through centuries-old villages - separating Palestinian
  families from each other and from their jobs, hospitals, schools,
  churches and mosques. The wall and checkpoints meant that many faculty
  and students can no longer make it to school at Bethlehem University
  and our student body has steadily lost its geographic diversity.  The
  biblical and literal path from Nazareth to Bethlehem is blocked by many
  checkpoints and thirty-foot high slabs of concrete.

   

  Many
  of my relatives lost jobs in Jerusalem or lost livelihoods that
  depended on the city of which we are a suburb. It is virtually
  impossible for West Bank Palestinians to obtain permits to enter
  Jerusalem or for Jerusalemites to engage in commerce with us. Even if
  one gets a rare permit, checkpoints make travel unpredictable and often
  impossible, precluding maintaining a decent economy. Unemployment is
  now at 45%, nearly twice what it was during the US Great Depression.
  But we can be thankful that we are not living in Gaza where things are
  far worse. Yet, the whole area feels like a ticking time bomb.

   

  Israel's
  desire to acquire maximum geography with minimum Palestinian demography
  is the root of the suffering afflicting the Holy Land. Today there are
  6 million Palestinian refugees and displaced people. Amnesty
  International has observed that the “peace processes” failed because
  Israel has ignored human rights, including the right of native
  Palestinians to return to their homes and lands. There is now a broad
  international consensus (with the exceptions of the US and Israeli
  governments) on the danger to international peace and security posed by
  Israel's continued violations of human rights and international law.
  Clearly if one wants peace in the Middle East and beyond, the path
  starts by giving justice to Palestinians. I am doubly pained as an
  American and a Palestinian Christian because my taxes support this
  60-year carnage. Israel is the largest recipient of US foreign aid and
  the US administrations still go out of their way to cater to Israeli
  lobby influences. 

   

  The
  logic of military and political power dictates that Israel is now
  building more Jewish settlements and demolishing more Palestinian homes
  and farms inspite of its obligations under signed agreements and under
  International law. The current Israeli government is even moving
  further right to fend off the extreme right of Netanyahu before the
  elections. The incoming Obama administration has appointed Israeli
  apologists to key positions of power (Hillary Clinton, Rahm Emanuel)
  indicating we should expect no “change”. 

   

  Israel
  as the occupying power is responsible for the welfare of those under
  its belligerent military rule per the applicable Geneva conventions. 
  Yet, Israel has intentionally de-developed the Palestinian economy.
  With the collusion of the EU and the US the economy of the West Bank
  and Gaza became even more dependent on Western “humanitarian aid”. 
  Some 30% of this aid is siphoned off into Israel and some 30% goes to
  support Palestinian “security forces” whose job seems to focus not on
  protecting Palestinians from settler attacks but to fight any
  Palestinian who dares to resist the occupation or challenge the
  usurpation of his land.

   

  There
  is a system of corruption involving governments and “authorities”
  trickling down to people. This is coupled with a media strategy that
  makes it look as if the only choices available to Palestinians are
  blowing themselves up or capitulation and endless negotiations. This
  sad state of affairs did not just happen but was engineered and is
  actively managed to perpetuate occupation and dependency. Why else
  would Israel deny entry to academics coming to teach at the
  universities here or entry to equipment for even the simplest of
  industries? Why deny Gaza electric power and equipment to treat the
  sewage and thus let sewage of 1.5 million people flow into the
  Mediterranean Sea polluting Europe and even Tel Aviv?

   

  But
  we are hopeful; history is not static as is amply illustrated by many
  historical example including the rise and fall of the Bush dynasty.
  Here in Bethlehem, we derive strength from knowing that the foreign
  military occupation that existed at Jesus’s time has ended. We derive
  hope from the thousands of visitors who come every year to show us
  solidarity. We derive contentment and patience from our faith and
  prayers. We derive energy from our work for peace with justice. The
  heads of our churches this year asked the International community to
  consider “what would Jesus do” in this situation of injustice.

   

  In
  this season celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace, let us all
  resolve to pray and work for ending the occupation that began in 1967
  and for implementing other Internationally recognized Palestinian
  rights. When we succeed, people of all religions (Jews, Christians, and
  Muslims) and all backgrounds will share this small piece of earth in
  harmony and peace. This will be the real change that we have been
  working for and that will finally shed the shackles holding US foreign
  policy. 

   

  This is our prayer this holiday season. 

   

  - Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD is Chairman of the Board of the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People - www.pcr.ps -
  and is a professor at Bethlehem University in the occupied West Bank.
  He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com. Contact his
  through his website: http://qumsiyeh.org

   

  Previous
  material I wrote in Previous Christmases (some directly relevant to
  today, some depressingly showing how little things change):

   

  http://www.qumsiyeh.org/christmas2007/

  http://www.qumsiyeh.org/christmas2006/

  http://mideastchristians.virtualactivism.net/newsarticles/mazin.htm Christmas 2002

  http://www.jerusalemiloveyou.net/spip.php?article60 Holiday message 2002

  http://www.mediamonitors.net/mazin1.html Christmas 2000

  http://qumsiyeh.org/aseasonofmayhem

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