“Reem Odeh looks resigned. ‘There's no work, the children have no place to play. We don't want to leave here and go to America, but you know...’”
They are not the only ones going
Price said that the latest figures published in early November 2006, show that Christians now account for just 15% of the population of Bethlehem. Not so long ago they were 80% of the town's population.
“Life is difficult for everyone in Bethlehem, but it is more often the Christians who have the means and the contacts abroad to be able to leave,” he said.
Few tourists
“In a small Christian workshop on one of Bethlehem's narrow lanes, a man is carving an olive wood souvenir.
“But there is no one to sell it to.
“Walk down the lane, and shop after shop is closed, locked behind light green metal shutters.
“Tourism may have returned to Israel, but few travelers attempt the journey through the Bethlehem wall.”
“Polarising”
Price added, “Publicly Christians here insist there is no friction with the Muslim majority.
“Earlier this year though the Islamist Hamas movement came to power.
“And in private some say they now dress more conservatively. There have also been fights between Christian and Muslim families.”
He said that Father Majdi Syriani says the problem is not local, but global.
“The whole world is polarizing around western Christianity and Islam,” he says. “This is a true threat, not for me but the whole world.”
“Bethlehem is the focal point. It's not because my Muslim people are threatening me. It's because the whole world is polarising. And it scares me.”
Bethlehem's Christians are not just scared, said Price, but they also feel weak and squeezed. And many are deciding that the best way to protect themselves is to leave.
“Christianity started here and should continue to remain here,” says George Ghattas, at the Latin Patriarchate.
“You would worry if the origin of that religion is basically monuments and shrines and stones, but you don't have faith believers.”
A personal note: The last time I was in Bethlehem with my wife Norma, we were held up by five gunman reputed to be from Islamic Jihad. They said they were going to kill us for being Israeli settlers. Our Arab taxi driver literally saved our lives by explaining that were from the United States, and the gunmen after some discussion finally agreed to spare our lives.
A few minutes later, we arrived at a Christian site and were then stoned by Palestinian youth.
My wife said afterwards, “The birthplace of Jesus sure is a dangerous place to visit.”
It appears that many local Christians believe that it is also a dangerous place to live!
What a sad reflection it is on the times we live in.
© 2006 ASSIST News Service, used with permission
