Comments for The real Bethlehem at http://pres-outlook.net , comment 1 to 5 out of 5 comments http://pres-outlook.net Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:54:24 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://pres-outlook.net/news-and-analysis/1-news-a-analysis/3706.html#comment-3130 In January, a group of 18 students and faculty, including myself, from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary traveled throughout Israel/Palestine and met with many leaders such as Fr. Elias Chacour and Rev. Mitri Raheb as well as Jewish and Muslim leaders. There is a sense from both sides that at least the separation wall has reduced the number terrorist attacks, but that because it isn't a complete separating wall, it doesn't entirely secure the border. One only need to take a ride into the desert to realize this. Like so many tourist, we visited many of the traditional sites, but we also visited the Dheisheh Refugee Camp which is in the Bethlehem area. It was developed after the expulsion of more than 750,000 Palestinians who were displaced after Al-Nakba ('the catastrophe') in 1948. As we learned walking through the streets of this camp, there are some who have been able to leave this camp for a better life, but many, and especially the children, live in a dilapidated, sub-standard living environment. Little hope exists within these residents as with other Palestinians who live in and are born into oppression and occupation. There exists an economic noose around the neck of the Palestinians where the unemployment rate in many areas are over 80%. Fr. Chacour informed us about those who are educated as lawyers, dentist or craftsman struggle to find jobs as janitors. We had the opportunity to travel to Hebron, known for glass factories which produce the famed 'Hebron Glass.' Handmade by skilled craftsman, we visited a glass factory that had been a family owned business for nearly 100 years. We were the first tourist they had received in over a year, which was evident by the thick layer of dust covering all the wares in the shop. Tourism in Hebron and much of the West Bank has vanished because of its unstable nature. Many businesses, like this glass factory, export their products into more bustling tourist areas like Bethlehem, Galilee, Jericho and Jerusalem. This process requires hiring a driver with proper travel papers to move through a series of checkpoints. In some cases it means hiring someone to drive to one checkpoint and then load the products on another truck with someone legal to drive the remainder of the way. Products are delivered to various shops to be sold by other store owners. In the end, if there is any money to be made, the glass factory will lose a portion of the profits to the shop owners in most tourist driven areas and a portion to the hired delivery drivers. Does the separation wall have an affect on the tourism within the West Bank? Yes, as well as the numerous checkpoints throughout the West Bank. We must not be lulled into a false sense of ease of maneuverability because it only takes half an hour for American tourists to travel from West Jerusalem to Bethlehem. There exists a true and real tourist problem in the West Bank. Recommended Book Raheb, Mitri. Bethlehem Besieged. Fortress Press, 2004. Recommended sites: http://www.machsomwatch.org/ http://www.canadazone.com/icw/impact.htm - Joshua Robinson Wed, 14 Mar 2007 12:00:00 +0100 http://pres-outlook.net/news-and-analysis/1-news-a-analysis/3706.html#comment-2937 A privileged American tourist to the Holy Land will rarely notice the injustices found here. The problem with checkpoints and Israel's separation barrier is not so much that they are closed down for arbitrary reasons, but that travel permits are not being granted to the vast majority of Palestinians. "Nobody deserves this treatment. Not Palestinians. Not Israelis. Not even dogs." These words of Dr. Nuha Khoury, Dean of Dar Al-Kalima College in Bethlehem, refer to her and her mother's experience of trying to obtain permission from the Israeli Defense Force to enter Jerusalem for Christmas. Consequently, job losses, in addition to the narrowing scope of tourism in places like Bethlehem, are squeezing the Palestinian economy to its breaking point. According to Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, Pastor of the Lutheran Christmas Church of Bethlehem, $3.5 billion of tourism income is generated annually in Israel/Palestine. Two percent of that enters the Palestinian economy of the West Bank. A brief visit to the Church of the Nativity will never reveal the reality of daily Palestinian life, nor will the luxury of being able to afford an Israeli taxi disclose the waning quality of life found today in the modern ghetto of Bethlehem. - Matthew Middleton Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:00:00 +0100 http://pres-outlook.net/news-and-analysis/1-news-a-analysis/3706.html#comment-2903 This is a one-sided account. It is very possible that it reflects the experience of the author's trip, but it doesn't convey a completely fair impression. While the loss of tourism is a great shame, it is not credible to assert that the wall accounts for this - unless one chooses to ignore the precipitous drop in tourism that began with the 2nd Intifada. One would also have to ignore the effect of the recent July War/2nd Lebanon War. There is a lack of clarity about the use of the term 'wall' - it is a 26 foot concrete wall in Bethlehem, but the quote from former President Carter uses the word wall to designate the entire barrier. The vast majority of this barrier is NOT a concrete wall. The failure to mention any reason for this barrier's existence also conveys a false impression. To assert that such a barrier is not the best solution to the problem, to point out the hardships it causes Palestinians, or to criticize its route would all be more responsible. To simply ignore the contextual reason for its construction, however, is not responsible. The comparisons to Herod and the Berlin Wall are not helpful, but seem designed for rhetorical appeal. It is also worth noting that none of the persons or groups referred to in this article could be construed as offering even a slightly different opinion. Sabeel's views are well publicized, as are Archbishop Tutu's and President Carter's. The fact is that all take the identical position. If one were looking for honest interpretations of the facts, one would be ill-advised to rely solely on these sources. - Will Spotts Fri, 29 Dec 2006 12:00:00 +0100 http://pres-outlook.net/news-and-analysis/1-news-a-analysis/3706.html#comment-2900 I'm not a big fan of the wall Israel has built, but I don't understand how it has effected tourism. I was in Jerusalem in March. I jumped in a taxi at the Jaffa Gate and was at the Church of the Nativity in less than 30 minutes. That was less time than the two previous, pre-wall, visits. I know that Israel can close down all the checkpoints, but that seems to happen seldom these days. Overall, tourism has been down in Israel, and the Lebanon war six months ago has had an effect on people who six months ago decided not to take that trip to Israel they had been planning. Most of the Christian pilgrims who visit Jerusalem make a trip to Bethlehem. - Al Sandalow Wed, 27 Dec 2006 12:00:00 +0100 http://pres-outlook.net/news-and-analysis/1-news-a-analysis/3706.html#comment-2898 The last 4th of this article inveighs against the 'wall' but fails to acknowledge the purpose of or the history behind the wall. This is analogous to a story about the poor kids of John Wayne Gacy who will have to live without their father, and not discussing the fact that John Wayne Gacy was a mass-murderer. The wall is a respose to Palestinian terrorism. You should at least acknowledge that. Charles Blakely - Charles Blakely Tue, 26 Dec 2006 12:00:00 +0100