December 1, 2000 — Mudeif Productions

*Destroyed Palestinian home on the outskirts of Bethlehem*

*Israeli tanks parked outside of Bethlehem*

Today we had another opportunity to relieve some of the "village fever" we've been experiencing since the beginning of the Intifada. Abuna Louis headed down to Bethlehem again to teach, and we joined with a few other passengers on the excursion. But as you can see from the photos, it was far from a pleasure journey - rather it was a pilgrimage of sorts. Following a suggestion from a friend of ours, we hired a guide for a few hours and made our first stop at the Wi'am Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center, a ministry of the Melkite (Greek Catholic) church. Begun in 1995, the purpose of this center is to provide mediation services within the Christian community of Bethlehem. Recently, they have been working a lot with young Palestinian Christians during the Intifada to work on non-violent means of response. They have also begun working with groups in Beit Jala and Beit Sahour (the two predominantly Christian villages which have suffered immensely from Israeli shelling and rockets from the nearby Gilo settlement) to give children a constructive outlet - as well as counseling - for the trauma of nightly gunfire, loss of homes, loss of money, etc. Not surprisingly, they have been overwhelmed lately.

We then headed to Beit Sahour and Beit Jala to see firsthand what we have been hearing and seeing in the nightly news. What we experienced was truly overwhelming, as you can see from the photos. We have far more than we are able to show. Beit Sahour and Beit Jala have the misfortune of being the closest Palestinian villages to the Israeli settlements of Gilo and Har Homa, and so Palestinian gunmen have taken their positions there to shoot. The response from the Israeli military, as we saw, was - and continues to be - incredible.

One home worth $1,000,000 was destroyed - there is no insurance for these losses. The neighborhoods are ghost towns - people have gone to live with families, have rented hotel rooms. Those who are not so fortunate have been forced to stay in their destroyed homes or to live in tents. A new refugee problem is arising. The fire destruction comes mostly from homes that were so close to the weapons that when they were fired, the propellant was still going.

*Damaged Palestinian home on the outskirts of Bethlehem*

We met one man, a Palestinian-born American citizen, whose house was hit by Israeli military might. He took his savings of twenty years and poured them into his family's home in Beit Jala. Now the skeleton of the building is all that remains. He told us that the Israelis were, indeed, responding to Palestinian gunmen. But he also showed us where the gunmen were firing from - behind his house, where there was no way they could hit a settlement. The only reasonable guess he had was that they were firing into the air to let off some steam. Whatever the conjecture, this man's life savings are a rubble.

We also saw how the Palestinian economy has been hit - a rock quarry that was a bedrock (no pun intended) industry has been effectively put out of business - it machinery and buildings bombarded by a storm of rockets, bullets, and shells. Our guide told us that the Israeli military made announcements before targeting this and other industries (we also saw a shelled macaroni factory). And so loss of life from these have been minimal. But it also indicates the intention of the attacks is retribution against the entire population, and not defensive response to gunmen. Such collective punishment darkens the lives and spirits of people here. We were getting ready to leave Bethlehem about the time the daily clashes begin at the Jerusalem checkpoint. Once again, a tank rolled into position (the one that, last week, hit the Paradise Hotel during our visit to Bethlehem).

*Tents next to destroyed Palestinian homes outside Bethlehem. The banner reads “Merry X-Mas America”*

*Destroyed Palestinian factory on the outskirts of Bethlehem*

In the wake of all of this we learn that Bethlehem 2000 celebrations has been cancelled - the two years of planning all for naught. The tourists are nowhere to be seen, and it seems rather glib to continue with parties and festivals when the death toll is over 300, the casualties hover at 10,000, and the destruction in and around Bethlehem show no signs of peace. Nevertheless, the worship services will continue - there is a need now, more than ever, to remind the world that the Prince of Peace has already come.