The facts on Muslim rule over Christians (many if not most
of Arab descent) where pseudo-Palestinians have governed are disturbing. It
would make a Leftist Multiculturalist proud because the facts include the
horrors of depopulation.
JRH 2/26/20
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**************************
Lessons From Palestinian Rule Over Bethlehem
By Dov Lipman
January 28, 2020
The minaret of a Muslim
mosque at Bethlehem's Manger Square is reflected in a gold crucifix during the
2002 Christmas Eve procession outside the Church of the Nativity. (Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images)
What is so special about Bethlehem?
For Jews, the town’s holiness stems from its description as
the burial place of Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife (Genesis 35:19). Later on, the
story of Ruth largely revolves around Bethlehem as the childhood home of King
David and the place where he was anointed as king (Samuel I 16:1-13). Jewish
tradition teaches that the Messiah will come from Bethlehem (Micha 5:2-5).
Christian tradition teaches that Bethlehem was the
birthplace of Jesus (Matthew 2:1–12, Luke 2:4–20, and John 7:42). The Church of
the Nativity was built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century CE over a
cave believed to be the very spot where Jesus was born.
Bethlehem Now and Then
Sadly, this holy city has also become a city of contention.
The 1947 United Nations Partition Plan
proposed placing Bethlehem, which is just six miles southwest of Jerusalem,
under UN control as part of the Jerusalem international zone. During the War of
Independence in 1948 which broke out after the Arab countries rejected the
partition plan, the Arab Legion took control of Bethlehem. During these 19
years the Christian population declined from in the thousands.
Israel took control over the city in June 1967 during the Six Day War. The Christian
residents asked Israel to annex the city and make it an official part of Israel
but Israel rejected the idea, holding out for the possibility of it returning
to Arab hands in the context of a peace agreement.
From 1967 until 1995 Bethlehem thrived. Christians came on
pilgrimages to the Church of the Nativity in the millions and Jewish
worshippers flocked to the revered Tomb of Rachel. Local vendors, restaurants,
and hotels experienced great success as people from all faiths felt free to
visit and walk the city streets.
But then in 1995, Israeli negotiations with the Palestinian
leadership led to the Oslo II Accords in which Israel
agreed to hand over civilian and security control to six cities – Jericho,
Tulkarem, Nablus, Qalqilya, and Bethlehem.
Bethlehem’s longtime Christian mayor, Elias Frej, begged
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin not to give the city which has a majority
Christian population over to the Palestinian Authority. He was afraid what
Muslim rule would do to the Christians living there. But Israel, seeking a
breakthrough in its relationship with the Palestinians, handed Bethlehem over
to Palestinian rule on December 21, 1995.
This led to a period of horrific unrest in and around the
holy city. Palestinian snipers began shooting at Jewish visitors to Rachel’s
Tomb and even killed IDF soldiers who were protecting those worshippers. At
times, the holy site which was fortified with concrete walls and roofs, had to
be closed because of the threats from Palestinian terrorists. At other
times visitors could only travel to the holy site in armored vehicles.
Aside from the attacks against Rachel’s Tomb, Bethlehem
became a home base for terrorist cells and the launching pad for terror attacks
against Israeli citizens. Its proximity to Jerusalem made the capital
vulnerable. A few examples:
·
Dec. 5, 2001:
Palestinian terrorist Daoud Ali Ahmed Saad was sent by the Islamic Jihad base
in Bethlehem to blow himself up in the heart of downtown Jerusalem. He did so,
seriously injuring five civilians.
·
Feb. 18, 2002:
Palestinian terrorist Yasser Said Moussa Uda was sent by a Fatah/Tanzim terror
group in Bethlehem to blow himself up next to a roadblock on a highway outside
Jerusalem. He killed an Israeli police officer and seriously injured two
civilians.
·
March 2, 2002: Sent
by a Fatah/Tanzim terror cell in the Bethlehem district, Muhammad Ahmed Abd
El-Rahman Derameh was transported to Jerusalem where he blew himself up next to
worshippers leaving a Jerusalem synagogue. He was driven there by Ashraf
Hajajara who also lived in the Bethlehem district.
·
March 17, 2002: Sent
by an Islamic Jihad terror cell in Bethlehem, Akram Ishak Abdullah Nabatiti
blew himself up at a major Jerusalem junction, seriously injuring 25 people.
·
March 29, 2002:
Palestinian terrorist Ayat Mohammed Latfi al-Akhras from the Bethlehem district
blew herself up in a main Jerusalem supermarket, killing two civilians and
injuring 22.
·
March 31, 2002:
Fatah operatives in Bethlehem prepared a bomb in a backpack and sent a
16-year-old boy to Jerusalem. The boy blew himself up next to a
health clinic, injuring six civilians.
Thus, Bethlehem became a base for Palestinian attacks
against Israelis in Jerusalem. The mounting casualties forced the Israel
Defense Forces to enter the city repeatedly to search and arrest the terrorists.
Israeli forces also worked to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in the
city. Not only were numerous suicide bombings thwarted, security forces also uncovered mortars and infrastructure for the production of
rockets.
Israel also had no choice but to construct the
security barrier which envelops Bethlehem, giving it the feeling of a city
under siege. These measures sharply reduced the number of successful terror
attacks, but with a Hamas terror cell strongly entrenched in Bethlehem,
attempts continue.
Christians and their holy sites suffered terribly from the
fighting, especially the Church of the Nativity during a month-long siege. On
April 2, during the IDF’s Operation Defensive Shield of 2002, Israeli forces
moved to arrest a number of Palestinian fugitives in the city. Fifty fled to
the church compound where they held 200 monks hostage. After 38
days, the siege ended peacefully with the Palestinian fugitives agreeing to go
into exile, some to Gaza and others to Europe. Israeli security forces found 40
explosives left behind in the church compound, a number of which were booby
trapped.
Bethlehem’s Declining Christians
Aside from the challenges created by the security conflict,
Christians see how radical Muslims persecute Christians throughout the Middle
East and see that this has been happening since the Palestinian Authority was
given control of the city. Examples of Palestinian Muslims intimidating their
Christian neighbors include:
·
Land theft either by force
or by forged documents, with little to no recourse in the PA justice system.
·
Muslim men harassing Christian
women verbally or sexually.
·
Christian businesses forced
to pay protection money.
·
Discrimination against
Christians in job opportunities.
·
Churches being broken into,
looted or vandalized.
·
Muslims who convert to
Christianity face ostracism, assaults, even murder.
·
Kidnapping and forced
conversion of Christians.
All of this has led to a significant decline in the
Christian population in Bethlehem.
Whereas Christians used to make up a majority of Bethlehem’s
residents, today, after 25 years of Palestinian control over the city, Christians
make up only 20% of its population. (A similar occurrence took place in Gaza
where 5,000 Christians lived in 2005 when Israel pulled out. After 14 years of
Hamas rule, only 1,000 Christians remain, and churches are often
demolished.)
The situation in now Palestinian controlled Bethlehem stands
in stark contrast to Israeli controlled Jerusalem, just six miles to the north.
In Jerusalem the Christian population can practice their faith freely and
securely. The Jerusalem municipality even provides free Christmas trees to
Christian residents.
In fact, Israel is the only country in the Middle East in
which the native Christian population increased since 1948. By the end of 2019,
Israel’s Christian population stood at 177,000, having grown 1.5 percent according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The lesson is clear. Christians thrive with total religious
freedom in Israeli-controlled areas, and suffer when Israel yields control to
radical Palestinian forces.
Featured image: Rachel’s Tomb via Wikimedia Commons; Church of the
Nativity CC BY-SA Dan;
Shepherd’s Field CC BY-NC fabcom;
+++++++++++++++++++++
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