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Is that a star over Bethlehem, or an Apache? 12/25/01 By Holger Jensen News International Editor http://homepage.mac.com/hjens/dec25.html Christmas is not joyous in the Holy Land. If Joseph and Mary were to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, normally a 90-mile road trip, they would have to detour through Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah and Jerusalem. It's doubtful they'd ever reach Bethlehem because Israeli soldiers probably wouldn't let them through. There are more than 150 military checkpoints in the West Bank. All entry and exit routes, even footpaths and dirt roads, are manned by security forces and closed to most Palestinian travelers. Many towns and villages are completely sealed off and under 24-hour or dusk-to-dawn curfews. The roads around them are blocked to auto traffic by trenches or concrete barriers. Palestinians who try to get around them on foot are shot at. Would Mary, a pregnant woman, be allowed to pass through one of these roadblocks? One month ago, Fatima Abed Rabbo and her husband tried to reach the hospital in Bethlehem. Fatima was seven months pregnant and in labor. Soldiers at military checkpoints twice refused to let them through, saying Fatima's condition was not critical. After waiting about one hour at one checkpoint Fatima gave birth to a son in her car. The premature baby, Walid, weighed only 3 pounds, had a low body temperature and required urgent medical attention. But, by the time the family finally reached the hospital in Bethlehem, it was too late. Walid died soon after being admitted. If they did reach Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary wouldn't have to stay in a manger. There are plenty of rooms. The city's numerous tourist hotels, normally crammed with pilgrims at this time of the year, are begging for business. Some have had so few bookings they've let their staff go and shut down. Others are shelled or burnt. The Nativity Church where Jesus was born is empty. While the world sings "Peace on Earth," the Palestinians in Bethlehem are not allowed to go to work, school or hospitals. There may be a "little star of Bethlehem" somewhere above them, but also Apache helicopters. This gloomy "Christmas Letter" was written by Arjan el Fassad of the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and Annete Meeuiws of the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights. It is not an exaggeration. There is no question that Israel has suffered suicide bombings and other devastating terrorist attacks since Palestinians launched their intifada, or uprising, 15 months ago. And there is no denying that most of these attacks originated in the occupied territories. But is collective punishment the answer? Should 3.2 million people, most of them not terrorists, be penalized for the sins of a few? Aid groups and human rights workers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip say military sieges and economic blockades have caused a humanitarian crisis. Because people and goods can no longer travel freely between Palestinian towns and villages, they are beginning to suffer shortages of gasoline, food and medical supplies. Uncollected garbage and sewage pose a mounting public health hazard. Vaccinations and primary health care systems are paralyzed, increasing the risk of epidemics. Most universities and schools are not functioning. More than 50 percent of the population is unemployed and many of those who still have jobs often can't reach them. About 30 Palestinians have died because they were denied access to medical care. And there have been numerous reports of women giving birth at checkpoints. Val Phillips, a physics student at CU Denver, is one of five Coloradans who decided to give up Christmas at home to go and tear down barricades in the West Bank. You can call her a "peacenik" or "Nazi," as some Jewish settlers did in one confrontation with the Colorado Coalition for Mideast Peace, but you have to admire her dedication. Since Val's arrival Dec. 14, she has lain in front of advancing Israeli tanks, had shots fired over her head by Israeli soldiers, been attacked my militant settlers and had pizza with Yasser Arafat. She has also torn down one barrier outside a Palestinian village only to see an Israeli bulldozer build another one. "People here are so depressed but so grateful for what we're doing," Val told me by phone. "It shows them another face of America, one that actually cares about what's happening to them." -- Colorado Campaign for Mideast Peace http://www.CCMEP.org __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send your FREE holiday greetings online! http://greetings.yahoo.com ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
