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Washington Report, January/February 2006, pages 69-70 Waging Peace “Open Bethlehem” Campaign Seeks To Save Holy City
AT THE National Press Club in Washington, DC Nov. 17, Bethlehem’s civil institutions launched Open Bethlehem, “an international campaign to save the city” from strangulation by Israel’s encircling annexation wall. The campaign, headquartered at Bethlehem University, is a partnership between the city’s vibrant but threatened civil society, the Bethlehem District Governorate and the Bethlehem Municipality. Peter Bourne, Open Bethlehem’s Washington, DC representative, opened the press conference and introduced newly appointed head of the PLO mission to the United States, Ambassador Afif Safieh, who gave the project his endorsement and blessing. According to the campaign’s literature, the campaign is making “a particular appeal to Christians worldwide in the lead up to Christmas.” Explained Open Bethlehem chief executive Leila Sansour (of the film “Jeremy Hardy vs. the Israeli Military” fame), “if Christianity cannot survive in the birthplace of Christ, it is in jeopardy everywhere.” Since 2000, over 400 of Bethlehem’s Christian families (9.3 percent of the remaining Christian community) have left their occupied homeland, adding to the thousands of Bethlehemites dispossessed in the 20th century by Israeli ethnic cleansing. Ambassador Safieh, a Christian Jerusalemite, added that “Our Muslim comrades see the decline of the Christian population as an impoverishment of Palestine.” According to Sansour, plans for the remaining wall sections already have been drawn, and two massive concrete walls—one around the urban areas of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, and another around the outlying villages—will likely be completed in December. The prison wall, she said, “even cuts through a cemetery, separating our dead from each other, Sansour said. Although Bethlehem has managed to survive “as an open and diverse society” despite ethnic cleansing, Sansour appealed for international solidarity to save this precious site of world heritage from potential annihilation. Bethlehem Mayor Dr. Victor Batarseh has declared Bethlehem an open city. As part of the Open Bethlehem campaign, the city will be issuing Bethlehem passports to those who “step up to the plate. Invest in Bethlehem,” the campaign urges. “Bring projects to the city, or come and live among us.” The first such passport was presented by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to Pope Benedict XVI during the Palestinian delegation’s Dec. 3 visit to prepare for the Pope’s upcoming trip to the region. Edward Hazbun, director of the Bethlehem Association, the premiere Bethlehemite Diaspora organization, suggested that “an Open Passport should be extended for those [Bethlehemites] abroad to be able to vote in local elections.” Open Bethlehem is also promoting tourism, Bethlehem’s major economic resource for the past century. The campaign’s literature points out that because of the Israeli occupation, “the number of tourists visiting Bethlehem has dropped from nearly 92,000 in 2000 to a mere 7,249 in 2004.” Open Bethlehem wants the world to know that the city is “well prepared to receive guests. It knew tourism before the word was invented. It is an ideal town to hold events, festivals, conferences and conventions and has always been welcoming and safe for visitors. Bethlehem is a world city and must be open to the world if it is to survive.” The campaign is supported by a number of political notables, including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and Archbishop of Jerusalem Michel Sabah. Thirty-five British MPs have also given their support, and the campaign is working on the U.S. Congress. The mood of the event was urgent but hopeful. “Palestine will resurrect,” Ambassador Safieh stated, “and as you know, we have some previous experience with resurrection.” For more information about the Open Bethlehem campaign, visit its Web site, <www.openbethlehem.org> or call its U.S. office at (202) 492-7266. For more information about the Bethlehem Association, visit <www.bethlehemassoc.org> or call (610) 353-2010. —Matt Horton |
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