Editorial
Bethlehem in 2008
As we again prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem next Thursday, what progress has been made to improve the lives of today’s residents of Bethlehem, especially of the Christians who live there? Some, but not enough.
The good news is that more pilgrims have begun visiting Bethlehem again, as those did who accompanied Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein earlier this year.
The number of pilgrims increased this year by at least 50 percent from last year. The pilgrims found a peaceful city where they could visit the Basilica of the Nativity on the site of Christ’s birth, and Shepherd’s Fields in nearby Beit Sahour.
(Contrary to what most Americans believe, it is safe to visit Bethlehem. No tourist or pilgrim has been harmed there since the early 1970s.)
There is still more good news: Although many Christians have left Bethlehem in recent years, many are remaining—thanks in large part to efforts made by the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land (FFHL). From contributions made by Americans, many of whom are archdiocesan Catholics, the foundation is providing college educations, training young boys and building houses for Christian Palestinians, among other things.
Pope Benedict XVI has stressed education as the way to maintain a Christian presence in the Holy Land. Today, this is being done by Bethlehem University, founded by the Vatican, the FFHL and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. Christian Palestinians are becoming dentists, pharmacists, nurses and other professionals.
The bad news, though, is that the unemployment rate in Bethlehem is still about 50 percent, and the Christian olive-wood sculptors who once flourished can no longer find customers. Pilgrims usually are given little time to shop in the stores.
The worst news, though, is that the wall erected by Israel makes Bethlehemites prisoners in their own city. It prevents them from entering land to the north and west, and roads to the south and east can be traveled only by Jewish settlers who live in Gilo and Har Homa on land confiscated from Arab Christians.
The wall stands at the border that separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem. Thirty feet high in places and merely a fence in other places, it was begun in 2002. If completed, it will be 480 miles long, three times the size of the Berlin Wall, encompassing 8 percent of the West Bank.
The Israelis insist that the wall is being built for security reasons—to keep terrorists out of Israel—and it does seem to be effective in doing that. But, because of the route the wall is taking deep into Palestinian territory, there can be no doubt that it is also meant to consolidate the Israeli settlements that have proliferated in the West Bank.
Last November, at a peace conference held in Annapolis, Md., the Israeli government promised to stop building settlements. It hasn’t happened. More than 2,000 new homes have been built since then.
During the presidency of George W. Bush, the United States has only occasionally tried to accelerate the peace process between Israel and Palestine. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has tried from time to time, but without much to show for her efforts.
We would like to see President-elect Barack Obama take a more active role because a just peace between Israel and Palestine could solve many problems in the Middle East.
There is not much that can be done immediately because of Israeli politics. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was forced to resign because of corruption charges, but he remains in office until elections in February because Tzipi Livni, head of the Kadima Party, was unable to form a coalition government. She will now run against Binyamin Netanyahu, head of the Likud Party, and Ehud Barak, leader of the Labor Party.
Whoever wins that election will negotiate with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. However, he leads only the Palestinians in the West Bank because those in Gaza have rejected him.
Most Israelis and Palestinians seem to agree on the “two-state” solution—Israel and Palestine. Trying to arrive at that solution, though, will take a lot of hard negotiations over details.
We hope that President-elect Obama will appoint an experienced high-powered representative to help the Israelis and Palestinians reach a just agreement.
—John F. Fink