CHRISTMAS EVE IN BETHLEHEM IS LOW-KEY

BETHLEHEM, West Bank, DEC. 24, 2003 (Zenit.org).- More than a thousand people gathered in Manger Square, listening to carols and watching the Christmas Eve procession into the church that holds the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

The crowd outside the Church of the Nativity was a far cry from the gathers that would fill the square in years past, the Associated Press noted.

During the past three years of Palestinian-Israeli violence, most potential pilgrims have stayed away.

"Participation is very limited because of the closures and checkpoints, people could simply not come,'' Bethlehem Governor Zohair Manasra said.

ZE03122420

email this article: http://www.zenit.org/senglish/send_friend/index.phtml?sid=46746

Bethlehem wants its pilgrims back, if the guards allow it December 24, 2003The Sydney Morning Herald

A holy place . . . Franciscan monks walk in the Church of the Nativity as the latest Palestinian-Israeli conflict enters its fourth year. Photo: AFP

Christ's birthplace lies still again, but getting in remains a lottery, writes Ed O'Loughlin.

If peace and love prevailed, Bethlehem would be a pleasant town 10 kilometres south of Jerusalem. Instead, the birthplace of David and Jesus will pass the fourth Christmas of the millennium and of the current intifada trapped in an old dispensation, largely sealed off from the world.

A cold coming you have of it. Travelling south from Jerusalem, the two-lane highway comes to sudden grief amid the tank traps, rusting wire and concrete slabs of an Israeli Army checkpoint.

Here you can join the queue of cars waiting for security inspection - maybe a few minutes, maybe a couple of hours - or else park by the roadside and walk through.

Look downwards: a splash of green paint on the bare concrete gangway shows where to stop and wait for the paramilitary Border Police to beckon you on for inspection. If they happen to be having a conversation among themselves you could be standing here a while.

When a finger flicks or a head jerks sullenly you may approach the police booth - one at a time and without undue haste. With all the bombings and shootings over the past three years, checkpoints are jumpy places.

Even the Wadi-al-Nar, or Valley of Fire, the only road linking Bethlehem directly to the rest of the West Bank, is controlled by Israeli checkpoints.

It was along this steep winding road 2000 years ago that three magi, or Persian wise men, climbed on the final stage of their quest from the east. Local tradition says that it was thanks to these three pilgrims that the Church of the Nativity survived to become the smoke-blackened labyrinth of vaults, tunnels, caves, monasteries and chapels it is today.

When Persian invaders captured the original fourth-century church from the Byzantine empire in the early seventh century they saw on the rear wall a mosaic (now gone) of the three wise men in Persian dress, worshipping a baby. They mistook the mosaic for an image sacred to their own Zoroastrian faith and left the church alone.

This Christmas the municipality of Bethlehem is expecting only a few hundred Italian pilgrims to come for devotions, a far cry from the old days.

"We used to host more than 150 buses here some days, but now there are no buses, just a few groups," said Khaled Shawabkeh, of the Palestinian tourist police, who was guarding the church one day last week. "Our English is getting weaker and weaker," he joked. "Nobody comes to talk to us any more, only journalists, and they already know everything."

It was after 1pm and his list ofvisitors for the day contained only 10 names. Among them were Rema Lajori and Hani Dodin, a pair of US-resident Palestinians who were visiting on their honeymoon. Touring the birthplace of Jesus with wide eyes, Rema wore the headscarf of a devout Muslim woman.

"All religions come from the same source," she said. "The Virgin Mary we also call the virgin. We believe in Jesus Christ not as the son of God but as a prophet, so this place where he was born is holy to us too."

Despite such ecumenical reinforcements, the slump in pilgrimage is hammering this charming hilltop town.

"There's no business. We've two shops and we don't sell anything," said Joseph Giacaman, whose family specialises in the manufacture, sale and export of olive wood artefacts. "Most people are frightened to come to the Holy Land and a lot of others come to the checkpoint and they [Israeli troops] tell them no, it's very dangerous, it's closed, you can't come in. They do this often. But the only trouble was when the Israelis came last year."

"Last year" refers to April 2002, when Israeli troops reoccupied the Palestinian-controlled cities in the West Bank and besieged dozens of Palestinian gunmen/police who took refuge in the Church of the Nativity. After 38 days a deal was struck allowing most of the remaining fugitives to travel to Gaza while the 13 most wanted, accused by Israel of terrorism, were sent abroad. The Israeli Army has since withdrawn to positions around the town's edge.

Father Elias, an elderly Orthodox priest, was one of several clergymen who insisted on staying in the church complex during the siege.

As he sees it, the difficulties facing Bethlehem and the world have a lot to do with the New World Order, Tony Blair and Saddam Hussein. "Boom, Bush, boom!" he said, laughing merrily.

Locals hope that unless there is a security incident - and Bethlehem has been very quiet for more than a year now - it should be easy for pilgrims to visit this Christmas.

Non-Palestinian pilgrims, that is.

"It [Christmas access] happens only for foreigners, for the press and for consular people, but not for local people," said Suad Sfeir, a local Catholic woman. "People from Bethlehem can't just come and go, even if it's Christmas Day . . . You need a permit to get to a Palestinian town, and the permit they give you, you have to go somewhere 20 kilometres away from here to get it, and often they [the Israeli military authorities] refuse you, say just go away, and other times you get it for just one day . . . You only do it for very special reasons."

Weblog: Bethlehem Prepares for Dour Christmas Plus: Tons more on Christmas, the lies of Da Vinci, State Department's religious freedom report, Christian video games, and hundreds of stories from online sources around the world. Compiled by Rob Moll | posted 12/19/2003

Bethlehem prepares itself for another gloomy Christmas. The town, usually buzzing with pre-Christmas activity, is now dead. An Associated Press story gives the picture: "George Juha sat in his empty Manger Square restaurant, flipping through a picture album, reminiscing about the good old days when hundreds of tourists, diplomats, and famous personalities lunched there. 'We've been closed most of the year. There are no tourists, so business is very slow,'' said Juha, 44, looking at 5-year-old pictures of U.S. congressmen enjoying a traditional Middle Eastern meal at his restaurant.

Bethlehem's mayor announced this week that Christmas celebrations would be limited to religious ceremonies. "I know that Bethlehem has a special place in the Christians' hearts, being the cradle of Jesus Christ, and for that I encourage all our Christian brethren to show their love for Bethlehem this Christmas by taking serious steps to save the city and its people, as it's in dire need for help preserve its prestigious place and its importance as a pilgrimage destination and a city of peace," the mayor said.

In addition, Israel barred Yasser Arafat from attending any celebrations in the city after a Christian delegation invited him. Arafat typically attends the Christmas ceremonies, but hasn't for three years while he has been confined to his Ramallah compound.

Christians have been fleeing the city at a rate of 1,000 per year, Reuters reports. "If this continues, our churches will be more like museums than living houses of prayer," said Father Amjad Sabbara, a senior Roman Catholic cleric, after celebrating mass before a sparse congregation of mostly gray-haired worshipers." Christians number only 50,000 in the West Bank and Gaza, less than half of the 110,000 Christians who lived there in 1948.

The town has lost the historic harmony it once had between Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Reuters says,

Town manager Jamal Salman said Christians are being hardest hit as Israel seizes land on Bethlehem's outskirts for a vast metal-and-concrete barrier it is building in the West Bank.

But Christians complain they are also being squeezed by Muslim neighbors who in some cases have taken advantage of growing lawlessness to grab farmland and other property.

Reuters writes this Christmas Ihab Mousselem, whose family has lived in Bethlehem for generations, got what he wished for: a visa to Europe. Mousselem is "joining a growing exodus of Palestinian Christians squeezed by Israel's crippling military blockade of the West Bank and the rise of Muslim fundamentalism. … 'We were here before the Greeks, Romans and Turks. It hurts to leave but it's more painful to stay,' " he said.

For a personal glimpse at the situation, read Rev. Alex Awad's letter to Ariel Sharon. Awad is dean of students of a Christian college in Bethlehem and the pastor of a Church in Jerusalem. He describes the "great social, economic, educational, medical and religious nightmares to the Christian citizens of Bethlehem."

Also check out CT editor David Neff's interview with Joshua Hammer, author of A Season in Bethlehem. Hammer describes the difficult situation of Christians in the town of Jesus' birth. Also online is information from the publisher, including an excerpt, a Newsweek excerpt, Hammer's discussion of the book on NPR's Fresh Air, and PBS's Frontline coverage of the Church of the Nativity standoff in Bethlehem.

ASIA/HOLY LAND - CHRISTMAS 2003: YOUNG MUSICIANS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD CARRY MESSAGE OF PEACE WITH CONCERTS IN JERUSALEM AND SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN MUSIC STUDENTS 15 Dec 2003 Jerusalem (Fides Service)

Jerusalem (Fides Service) – Peace in the Holy Land can be launched by youth: with this conviction, this Christmas 28 people aged between 16 and 26 from 21 different countries, “will stage a peaceful invasion of the Holy Land” (in response to a call by the Franciscans in Jerusalem). With their presence and music they will carry a message of dialogue, hope for peace and harmony. With the sponsorship of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land the World Youth Orchestra WYO – started in 2001 with the best students at conservatories all over the world– will give a series of concerts December 20 and 21 in Jerusalem, Ramallah and to the Jewish-Arab community in Nevé Shalom (north of Jerusalem). They hope in this way to show the leaders in the Holy Land, and to the world that peace in the Middle East is possible and it is deeply desired by all the young people in the region who aspire to a future of tranquillity, joy and harmony.

The WYO Tour for Peace 2003” della WYO is a project of the non-profit association MusicaEuropa, nominated UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. It is chaired by Italian conductor Damiano Giuranna, who launched WYO after the 9/11 terrorist attack convinced that youth and music can be a basis for launching a message of peace internationally that even in the Middle East torn by years of conflict. WYO concerts include traditional popular Mediterranean music in a classical key, “create the basis for intercultural dialogue and peaceful coexistence regardless of ideological or religious identity” Giuranna explained.

For Giuranna and the orchestra music is a universal language and as a tangible sign they will offer scholarships to four young Israeli and Palestinian music students who will be invited to join the WYO Tour 2004.

WYO is highly symbolic since its members are young people from various countries: China and Taiwan, Israel and Iran, England and Ireland, Greece and Turkey, Egypt, Korea, Australia, Morocco, United States, Albania, Italia, Germany, France, Russia, Spain, Baltic Republics. These young musicians offer testimony of dialogue, friendship and fraternity and political leaders would to well to listen and learn.

(PA) (Fides Service 15/12/2003 lines 37 words 433)

Israeli foreign minister meets with pope, assures pilgrims will have access to holy sites VICTOR L. SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer Thursday, December 11, 2003 (12-11) 07:39 PST VATICAN CITY (AP)

Israel's foreign minister told Pope John Paul II on Thursday that his government will do all it can to ensure that pilgrims have free access to holy sites during the Christmas season, the Israeli foreign ministry said.

The meeting between the pope and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom was the first high-level encounter between the two sides since John Paul criticized Israel's planned security barrier last month.

A Vatican statement said that in talks with the pope and a successive meeting with top Vatican officials, the two sides expressed their views on reaching peace in the Holy Land, particularly the need to get the stalled peace process moving.

Last Christmas, the Vatican complained to Israel about access to Manger Square in Bethlehem, the town where tradition holds Christ was born, because it was then under Israeli military occupation.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said in Jerusalem that "every effort will be made to facilitate and ease the arrival of pilgrims to Bethlehem."

Israel maintains a checkpoint just south of Jerusalem along the road to Bethlehem. Peled said manpower would be increased to allow tourists to pass quickly through the checkpoint, which controls traffic between Jerusalem and the West Bank.

"It's a goodwill gesture on the part of Israel. We appreciate and respect the wishes of all those who want to celebrate Christmas here. We think it's an interest we share with the Palestinians," Peled said.

About 110,000 tourists are expected to visit Israel this month, said Ami Etgar, general manager of the Israeli Incoming Tour Operator Association, a trade group representing local travel agents. The figure is up from 92,000 last year, he said, but well below the 180,000 visitors who came to Israel in December 1999, before the latest wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

"We all hope that peace will happen next year," the Foreign Ministry quoted Shalom as telling the pope, reiterating Israel's commitment to reaching an agreement with the Palestinians through direct negotiations.

PILGRIMS URGED TO VISIT HOLY LAND AT CHRISTMAS

JERUSALEM, DEC. 4, 2003 (Zenit.org).- The Franciscans in Jerusalem, Custodians of the Holy Land, have joined in launching a call for a "peaceful invasion" of the Holy Land.

Father Ibrahim Faltas, of the Order of Friars Minor, and Hanna Nasser, mayor of Bethlehem, relayed a message inviting Christian pilgrims to travel to the Holy Land.

"Invade the Holy Land for a few days at Christmas," they said in a statement to the Vatican's Fides agency, "and let yourselves by won over by its cultural and human message. In this way you will offer a concrete and constructive contribution towards peace worth much more than a thousand words."

Tourism, a mainstay of the local economy, has been devastated since the intifada, the Palestinian uprising, broke out three years ago.

"You will have the opportunity to demonstrate your solidarity with those in difficulty and to offer hope," the message of Father Faltas and Nasser said. "This will be for everyone an act of love and respect for the communities living here amid so many difficulties."

"With your presence as tourists and pilgrims, you would not be in any danger and you would do much to restore daily normality," the statement added.

ZE03120420

email this article: http://www.zenit.org/senglish/send_friend/index.phtml?sid=45709

ASIA/HOLY LAND - FRIARS TELL PILGRIMS: “COME, INVADE THE HOLY LAND!” COME TO BETHLEHEM FOR CHRISTMAS 04-12-03, Agenzia Fides - Agenzia della Congregazione per l'Evangelizzazione dei Popoli

Jerusalem (Fides Service) – An call for a “peaceful invasion” of the Holy Land 2003 has been launched by the Franciscans in Jerusalem, Holy Land Custodians. After news from travel agents that bookings for the Holy land are increasing, Christians living in the places where Jesus walked hope for a massive comforting presence of pilgrims this Christmas.

Fides received a message in which Father Ibrahim Faltas OFM, headmaster of Holy Land School and Mr Hanna J. Nasser, mayor of Bethlehem, welcome Christian visitors telling them not to be afraid: “Invade the Holy land for a few days at Christmas and let yourselves by won over by it cultural and human message. In this way you will offer a concrete and constructive contribution towards peace worth much more than a thousand words. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate your solidarity with those in difficulty and to offer hope. You will express with facts your fraternal affection for the people of the Holy Land, and this will be for everyone an act of love and respect for the communities living here amidst so many difficulties ”.

The message recalls that Cardinal Martini, told the international community: “Rather than walls of cement or stones to divide, it is better to build a bridge of people which, while guaranteeing security on both sides, allows the two communities to communicate and grow in mutual understanding in daily life”.

(PA) (Fides Service 1/12/2003 Lines: 28 Words: 305)

Holy Land Franciscans hope for Bethlehem Christmas pilgrim rush CathNews 3 Dec. 2003

The Franciscan custodians of Catholic shrines in the Holy Land are seeking a "peaceful invasion" of pilgrims, specifically visitors to Bethlehem for Christmas.

The Fides news service reports an increase in the number of Christians planning trips to Bethlehem this year. It says Christians "living in the places where Jesus walked hope for a massive comforting presence of pilgrims this Christmas".

Holy Land Franciscan Fr Ibrahim Faltas, together with Bethlehem mayor Hanna J. Nasser, has assured potential Christian pilgrims that there is no need to be afraid.

"Invade the Holy Land for a few days at Christmas and let yourselves by won over by its cultural and human message," they told Fides. "In this way you will offer a concrete and constructive contribution towards peace worth much more than a thousand words."

The Israeli business website Globes is reporting that the Italian Bishops Conference has urged bishops to encourage the faithful to make pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

Globes cites figures to back its claim of an upsurge in Catholic tourism to Israel. During the period of January to October 2003, 19,445 visitors arrived from Italy, an increase of 48% over the same period last year. During the same period, 12,812 visitors came from Spain, which was 92% more than in the same period in 2002, and 29,271 tourists from Central and South America up 29% over the same period last year.

Pictured: Basilica of the Nativity, Bethlehem

Visit Bethlehem for Christmas, Franciscans in Holy Land urge Bethlehem, Dec. 02, 2003 (FIDES/CWNews.com)

Bethlehem, Dec. 02, 2003 (FIDES/CWNews.com) - The Franciscan custodians of Catholic shrines in the Holy Land have asked for a "peaceful invasion" of pilgrims-- specifically, visitors to Bethlehem for Christmas.

The Fides news service reports an increase in the number of Christians planning trips to Bethlehem this yea, and says that "Christians living in the places where Jesus walked hope for a massive comforting presence of pilgrims this Christmas."

Fides received a message in which Father Ibrahim Faltas OFM, headmaster of the Holy Land School; and Hanna J. Nasser, Mayor of Bethlehem, welcome Christian visitors, telling them not to be afraid: "Invade the Holy Land for a few days at Christmas and let yourselves by won over by its cultural and human message," they write. "In this way you will offer a concrete and constructive contribution towards peace worth much more than a thousand words."

The message recalls that Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, told the international community: "Rather than walls of cement or stones to divide, it is better to build a bridge of people."

ASIA/HOLY LAND - FRIARS TELL PILGRIMS: “COME, INVADE THE HOLY LAND!” COME TO BETHLEHEM FOR CHRISTMAS 1 Dec 2003 Jerusalem (Fides Service)

Jerusalem (Fides Service) – An call for a “peaceful invasion” of the Holy Land 2003 has been launched by the Franciscans in Jerusalem, Holy Land Custodians. After news from travel agents that bookings for the Holy land are increasing, Christians living in the places where Jesus walked hope for a massive comforting presence of pilgrims this Christmas.

Fides received a message in which Father Ibrahim Faltas OFM, headmaster of Holy Land School and Mr Hanna J. Nasser, mayor of Bethlehem, welcome Christian visitors telling them not to be afraid: “Invade the Holy land for a few days at Christmas and let yourselves by won over by it cultural and human message. In this way you will offer a concrete and constructive contribution towards peace worth much more than a thousand words. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate your solidarity with those in difficulty and to offer hope. You will express with facts your fraternal affection for the people of the Holy Land, and this will be for everyone an act of love and respect for the communities living here amidst so many difficulties ”.

The message recalls that Cardinal Martini, told the international community: “Rather than walls of cement or stones to divide, it is better to build a bridge of people which, while guaranteeing security on both sides, allows the two communities to communicate and grow in mutual understanding in daily life”. “With your presence – the Friars said – as tourists and pilgrims you would not be in any danger and you would do much to restore daily normality. In your hearts every day should be Christmas towards those who suffer. Christmas is God’s loving mercy for humanity. Please come!”

(PA) (Fides Service 1/12/2003 Lines: 28 Words: 305)