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Christians in Bethlehem Go Through a Sad Easter
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| Church
of Nativity; under
siege for 34 days
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Report By Awad Al Rajoub, IOL Palestine Correspondent
BETHLEHEM, May 4 (IslamOnline) – The Christian world will celebrate tomorrow Easter as the symbol of Christianity, the Church of Nativity, enters its thirty fourth day of military siege.
Israeli occupation forces continued setting up military barriers on the city of Bethlehem in the West Bank and enforced a strict siege around it, barring Christians from performing their prayers in the city’s churches and especially the Church of Nativity.
Since the end of March, the curfew has been a feature of Bethlehem, as residents are only allowed to move around for a few hours every couple of days and humanitarian organizations from around the world are banned from offering their help to the residents.
On Saturday, a member of the Palestinian security forces, Ahmad Najajra, who was inside the church, died from his chest wound, which he got from a bullet fired by an Israeli sniper.
IslamOnline spoke to several residents who viewed this year’s Easter as the first of its kind since the birth of Jesus Christ nearly 2000 years ago.
Tony Salman, a lawyer in Bethlehem, one of those under siege in the church and a member of the negotiating team, said that there is a major disaster inside the church.
“The Church of Nativity is sad, and for the first time in history Bethlehem and especially the church passes through these conditions. The situation inside the church is very bad and there is malnutrition and diseases,” he said adding that those inside the church are unable to manage their situation.
Salman said that there are nearly 170 trapped inside the church including men and women, adding that most of them are going through illnesses.
With regards to negotiations with the Israeli side, Salman said that it has stopped after reaching a dead end last Friday. Speaking about Easter, Salman directed his words to the entire world saying: “The church of peace is the place where the message of peace and love was born and the world has a responsibility of bringing back part of this peace.”
“It’s the feast of murder, destruction and starvation.” This is how Suad Balout from Bethlehem started her talk about Easter this year. “The feast has turned into fear because of the Israeli war machine, which roams around in the city,” she said adding, “there is not feast, no joy, no celebrations as long as the symbol of Christianity is under siege and under attack by people who do no value religion. Every day people die, are injured and go hungry in the Church of nativity.”
She added that the major prayer for Christians in Easter must take place inside the Church of Nativity. “As everyone can see, no one is allowed in and no one is allowed to roam the streets of the city unlike in previous years, as Israeli forces fire on every one who thinks of walking in the streets.”
“Since the dawn of history, the world has never seen such breach of religious freedom as the city of Bethlehem witnesses now. Ever since the birth of Christ nearly 2000 years ago, no one has come near the church of nativity, till the Israeli occupation arrived,” she said.
Rami Balout describes that situation in Bethlehem as the worst in the history of the Church of Nativity. “Unlike the common belief that the places of worship are sanctuaries, the Church of Nativity is a place of murder and a battlefield for Israeli snipers.”
“Usually, on the Saturday that comes before Easter, people purchase their belongings and prepare for the feast with new clothes. In Bethlehem, however, people celebrate by wearing bullet-proof vests and searching for food and drink. There is not joy, no food, no drink and no medicine,” he said.
“People who seek sanctuary in a church are getting murdered on Easter. Where is the world’s conscious? Where is humanity? Where is the respect for religion and human religious freedom? Where are all those principals that the west speaks about? Why isn’t any Christian or Muslim allowed to perform his religious rituals?” asks Balout.
“There is no Christian world. The United States has noting to do with Christianity, which calls for love and peace. It’s the United States of Iron and fire. Military power is what rules the world. The west has replaced the teachings of love and peace in Christianity with that of war, destruction and depriving other of their rights,” he said.
The wife of Palestinian poet Jamal Banoura said that the occupation forces have replaced the joy of the feast with fear and curfew. “How can there be a feast with the church of nativity under siege?” she asks, adding that the Israeli tanks have drawn the signs of grief instead of innocent smiles on the faces of innocent children.”
“This is our fate and we must be strong,” she said.
Christians form nearly 2 per cent of the total population in Palestine and constitute nearly 45 per cent of the population in Bethlehem, which reaches 45 thousand and the remaining are Muslims.
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