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December Feature Article Israeli troops occupied Don Wagner Bethlehem from Oct- ober 19 to 29, 2001 No Peace for Bethlehem AST DECEMBER, I took my tinian intifada, which started in Sep- Palestinian teenage children Anna and tember 2000. Bethlehem was under a Christians Matthew to the Holy Land for strict curfew and military siege. Mus- Christmas, where we lims, Christians, and Jews in the Holy face another joined a camel caravan Land lived with increasing insecurity reenactment of the Journey of the from terrorist bombings and military year without LMagi. The pilgrimage began in Ur of assaults. We left Chicago with prayers Christmas the Chaldees (from Genesis 11:31), that there might be a brief moment of 370 kilometers southeast of Baghdad. peace for Christmas, but it seemed We joined the caravan a few days before doubtful. Palestinian Christians and Christmas as it crossed the Jordan and Muslims decided that they could not entered Jericho. We traveled up the celebrate Christmas that December. desert hills of Judea on our way to Beth- Instead, it would be a time of mourn- lehem. ing. There were few, if any, tourists in Ramadan, the Muslim month of the Holy Land, due to the second Pales- fasting, was just ending as we arrived. 6 | THE COVENANT COMPANION During the journey we tried not to eat sion moved up the hill to Bethlehem. said, “Dad, this is awesome. This is during the daylight hours, out of respect The large banner in front of us read, Christmas.” for the Muslims in the caravan. Fol- “Jesus weeps for the Palestinians.” Ara- Prospects for Christmas celebrations lowing a trail that historians believe the bic Christmas carols boomed out of in Bethlehem this year appear to be Magi followed to avoid King Herod the van leading the procession. As we grim to non-existent. For a second con- and his army, we entered Ubadiyya, a looked around, men, women, and chil- secutive year, the Israeli army and Pales- largely Muslim suburb of Bethlehem, dren were out on their balconies or in tinians are locked in a war of attrition on December 23. We passed an Israeli front of their homes, waving and cheer- in the Holy Land. More than thirty military training area that had been ing us on. As darkness fell, we looked Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were shelling Ubadiyya and nearby Beit behind us and saw an endless parade killed in less than a week this past Octo- Sahour (Shepherd’s Field) for three of people marching behind us with ber. Unemployment in Bethlehem is months, and waved to the Israeli army torches. now over 60 percent as tourism is vir- who sat on their tanks. They seemed During the march, I talked with an tually nonexistent. bewildered by a camel caravan of some old friend, Dr. Ghassan Andoni. He After the September 11 tragedy in thirty pilgrims walking or riding, hold- had been planning the march for sev- the United States, hopes for renewed ing banners that read, “The Journey eral months, never knowing if it would peace negotiations in the Holy Land The mayor, a Muslim, welcomed our group, a mixture of American, British, and Palestinian Christians, as one of the first signs of peace he had seen in ninety days. of the Magi 2000” and “We Come in indeed take place. “Once the intifada were revived. U.S. President George the Name of the Prince of Peace.” Anna started we thought we would cancel Bush and British Prime Minister Tony and Matthew felt a new sense of it,” he said. “You must realize that we Blair announced their support for a courage once we passed through the have had nothing to celebrate this year Palestinian state. But soon afterwards, tense zone. as we have been shelled daily by the Israeli soldiers assassinated Mustafa After sunset, we heard the call to Israelis.” Zibri, a leader of the Popular Front for prayer from the minarets of Ubadiyya, I asked him how many people he the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). and were welcomed into the munici- thought were walking with us. He The PFLP then assassinated Rehavam pal building to share the evening meal answered, “Well over 8,000.” Hearing Zeevi, Israel’s minister of tourism. that broke the daily fast on the last day this, Matthew looked back again, and On October 19, Israeli tanks and of Ramadan. The mayor, a Muslim, welcomed our group, a mixture of American, British, and Palestinian Christians, as one of the first signs of peace he had seen in ninety days. On Christmas Day we assembled in mid-afternoon to begin our last leg of the journey, from Shepherd’s Field to Manger Square in Bethlehem. It was cold and raining. During a damp wor- ship service in the Cave of the Shep- herds, Matthew leaned over to me and said, “This doesn’t really feel like Christmas.” I reminded him that at the time of Jesus’ birth, the Roman army had occupied Palestine, and the situa- tion appeared grim and without hope. “We need to find hope in God and in the power of Christ to believe when there is nothing but darkness,” I told him, but it had little effect. We mount- ed our camels and slowly the proces- The Journey of the Magi caravan traveled from Ur of the Chaldees to Bethlehem, Christmas 2000. DECEMBER 2001 | 7 soldiers occupied five Palestinian cities, Lutheran Church wrote the following For the first time in its history, the including Bethlehem. During the fight- after Johnny’s funeral: “Over the last Christmas Lutheran Church canceled ing that followed, more than thirty thirteen months of the intifada, Pales- worship services because it was too dan- Palestinians were killed. One of the tinians have been trying to comfort gerous for congregants to leave their people killed was Johnny Thaljiya, a themselves with the belief that Beth- homes. Sadly, that same Sunday morn- seventeen-year-old high-school stu- lehem was a safe place, that the Israeli ing, two other congregations were dent who lived just off Manger Square forces would never attack at the cen- bombed by Israeli shelling. One wor- with his family. ter of the city, the very place remem- shiper was gunned down by a sniper Johnny was an altar boy at the bered as the birthplace of Christ. No as he exited a church. Church of the Nativity, a Greek Ortho- one would have thought that someone What can Christians in North Too often, Christians visit the...holy sites and archeological digs—and make no connection with the living church. dox church that is one the oldest Chris- could be shot on Manger Square….” America do for our brothers and sis- tian churches in the Holy Land. Raheb recalled the Pope John Paul’s ters in the Holy Land? St. Paul reminds According to The New York Times, John- remarks during his historic visit to us that when one part of the body of ny was walking with his four-year-old Bethlehem in March 2000: “Today we Christ is suffering, we all suffer. Per- cousin when he was shot and killed by look back to one moment two thou- haps the response is prayer—a fervent a sniper. sand years ago, but in spirit we embrace prayer of Christian solidarity and encouragement for these Christian sis- ters and brothers who think of them- selves as “the forgotten faithful.” Every- one can pray for the safety, survival, and witness of these indigenous Chris- tians, whose history dates back to the day of Pentecost in the Holy Land. The Washington, DC-based Churches for Middle East Peace organizes prayer vigils throughout the United States — each state takes a specific day of the month for educa- tional opportuni- ties and prayers on behalf of the Christians of the Holy Land. Other Christian groups have organ- ized peace delega- ABOVE: The Greek Orthodox monastery of Mar Saba, outside Bethlehem tions or pilgrim- RIGHT: The author pictured with his children and Peter Thiep, a Sudanese ages to encourage student from North Park University, who also took part in the caravan Christians in the His father, Theophanis, told The all time. We celebrate one newborn Holy Land at a time when tourism is Washington Post: “From a young age he child, but we embrace all men and absent. There are several types of del- was always at the church, always will- women everywhere. Today, from egations being organized at this time ing to help. He was loving toward every Manger Square, we cry out to every under the theme of visiting the “living human being, a gift he received from time and place, and to every person, stones” of the Holy Land. Too often, God.” Johnny’s dream was to go to ‘Peace be with you. Do not be afraid’…. Christians visit the dead stones—holy seminary and become a priest, minis- Unbelievably, a year and a half later, sites and archeological digs—and make tering in Bethlehem. these words now seem little more than no connection with the living church. Violet Raheb, director of women’s a dream, as people are captive to fear There is an urgent need for churches ministries at Bethlehem’s Christmas in that same place.” to go on prayerful pilgrimages and to 8 | THE COVENANT COMPANION worship and have fellowship with the Palestinian Christians. There is also a Is There Any Room in the need for those who would be willing to come as international observers and Holy Land for Christians? monitors of the human rights situa- tion. For information about both these PALESTINIAN CHRISTIAN leaders fear that the continued violence in the programs, contact Mark Brown of the Holy Land will result in a new wave of emigration from the troubled Evangelical Lutheran Church in Amer- region.
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