Tuesday, December 18, 2007

O Little Troubled Town

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O little town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by,
yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light,
the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

This is probably my favourite Christmas Carol, so poetic and unfortunately that first line is so inaccurate in 2007. Modern-day Bethlehem is in the West Bank and every day thousands of residents cross into Israel for work, if they are allowed. Although Arab Christians from Bethlehem have never posed a problem for Israeli security, and neither do most Arab Muslims, there is a tedious and slow and often humiliating process for crossing the check-points for work that is menial for the most part. The tensions run high and add to the bitterness and there seems to be no end to the forty year occupation of the West Bank.

One year I visited a Christian school in Bethlehem and the principal pleaded with us to raise the issue of a Christian population that was isolated and shrinking. It was an uncomfortable moment for our Israeli guide but something we needed to hear.

Of course there are security issues which means the Israeli government must be vigilant but the efforts for resolution are essential. The international community has pledged billions of dollars to help revive the Palestinian economy, including 300 million from Canada. Perhaps this will create an atmosphere of hope for the future.

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