 Bethlehem Under Curfew: Rev. Awad Describes a Palestinian Christian Family's Struggle |
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by Rev. Alex Awad |
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The siege of the Church of the Nativity has ended and the Israeli tanks and international camera crews have withdrawn, but life for
Palestinians remains harsh. Israeli tanks, soldiers and checkpoints still surround Bethlehem, ready at a moments notice to reenter.
New roads, for Israeli settler use only, are being cut through Palestinian farmland and further isolate the residents of Bethlehem. Bethlehem, home of the Prince of Peace, has seen better days. Since, March 29, 2002, its people have been subjected to unimaginable tyranny and hardship. Many of its citizens are boiling with anger and frustration. They are outraged over the thirty-five day curfew that the Israeli army has forcefully imposed over their city and all the neighboring suburbs and refugee camps, which includes towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour. A population of over 100,000 people is directly affected by this unprecedented, countywide curfew. Those who have never lived under military incursion may find it difficult to understand the depth of humiliation that the average citizen of Bethlehem feels. Unfortunately, the media focuses on certain hot spots and ignores others. As one journalist put it, "if it bleeds it leads". In other words where blood is not spilled and where destruction cannot be portrayed via vivid and dramatic video footage, the story is put on the back burner or neglected altogether. Thus the tragic events in and around the Manger Square, where over 200 people are held prisoners inside the Church of the Nativity by Israeli tanks and sniper fire, is getting far more media attention than the plight of the 100,000 people outside the church who have now been imprisoned in their homes for over a month. To shed some light over the non-televised dark saga, come with me and let us visit an average Palestinian home in the Bethlehem area. We will accept the hospitality of the Rishmawi family who live in Beit Sahour (Shepherd's Fields). In spite of the fact that it is early Monday morning, the Rishmawis give us a warm welcome. It is 7:30 am. In normal circumstances, Mrs. Rishmawi wakes up the children, fixes them breakfast and gets them ready to go to school. Mr. Rishmawi drives them from their home in Beit Sahour to Talitha Kumi School in Beit Jala. But due to the curfew, Mrs. Rishmawi has no reason to wake her children up early. It is neither a holiday nor a vacation, but today, like every day for a whole month, all schools, colleges and learning centers have been closed. Instead of school buses and parents driving their children to schools, armored vehicles and tanks are roaming the streets bringing fear and anguish into the hearts of all citizens. On Tuesday, Mr. Rishmawi cannot go to work for the same reason that his children cannot go to school. Curfew means that people stay in their homes around the clock. If they leave, they do it at tremendous risks to their lives and well-being. Israeli snipers are perched on surrounding rooftops watching for any individual that would dare to break the curfew. The Rishmawi family is well aware of their neighbor, Mr. Hayek, the local gas station co-owner, who was shot and killed in his car as he tried to return from his gas station to his home. Mr. Hayek, a husband, a father and an active member of the Greek Orthodox Church in Beit Sahour, was neither a fighter nor a terrorist. On Wednesday, Mr. Rishmawi wakes up with the urge to work on his farm located a couple of miles outside Bethlehem. But he knows that if he leaves the house, he may never see his home or his farm again. So he stays put while the planting and gardening season goes by. His pain goes deeper knowing that none of his brothers or neighbors can get to their farms. The economic consequence on thousands of farmers from the curfew is phenomenal. On Thursday night, one of the Rishmawi children gets sick, she must see a physician, but she cannot get to the doctor and the doctor's life would be in danger if he made a house visit. The Rishmawis remember the story of Dr. Ahmad Nuaman who was shot and killed when he rushed in his car to help the injured. The Rishmawis must wait for the Israelis to lift the curfew for a few hours every third or fourth day to enable them to visit the doctor in his or her home. Meanwhile they hope and pray that the condition of their daughter will not deteriorate. On Friday, Mr. Rishmawi hears that the Israelis will lift the curfew for two hours to give the people a chance to shop for food and other items. The Rishmawi family will have to divide the time between taking their daughter to the doctor and doing emergency shopping. But there is one big hurdle to overcome. The Rishmawis are running out of cash and the banks also are not functioning normally due to the political upheaval and the curfews. So they spend precious time to look for a friend who may still have some cash to loan them. After crossing this hurdle, they are still concerned if they will have enough money to do all their needed shopping and pay for a doctor's visit. They also worry about paying back the borrowed money and outstanding bills, when for over a whole month they have not been able to get to their work to make a living. On Saturday, the Rishmawis hear of the death of a close family member in Beit Jala, a town on the other side of Bethlehem. But they have no way to get to Beit Jala to mourn her death and express condolences. Even when the curfew is lifted in one suburb, other suburbs remain under curfew, preventing movement from suburb to suburb. Therefore, they have to mourn the death alone, while the family of the deceased must also weep and bury their loved one alone. Sorrow is added to sorrow and misery is heaped upon misery. Now it is Sunday, a day when Palestinian Christians normally go to worship. For the last three or four Sundays the Rishmawis have been prevented from attending worship services by the enforced curfew and Israeli tanks and armored vehicles roaming their streets. Fear and terror are continuing to be inflicted on all the population, while news of death and destruction is being reported daily from their besieged Nativity Church. A month old siege of any city in the world is a crime against humanity no matter who is doing it. To place tens of thousands of people under house arrest for such a long period of time is a reflection of the moral bankruptcy of Sharon and his government. Why should all the inhabitants of Bethlehem be sentenced without trial, incarcerated in their homes, traumatized beyond reason and impoverished for the activities or misdeeds of a few militants? What saddens and frustrates the population of Bethlehem most is not so much the inhumanity of the forces of occupation; years of occupation and repression from the Israelis has taught them not to expect better. What pains Palestinian Christians the most is the silence of Christians around the world regarding these assaults on Bethlehem and its Muslim and Christian population. Has Christendom lost its prophetic voice? Where are the church leaders with vision and compassion? Who in the Church today has the courage, faith and calling to confront the Pharaohs and Herods of our times? Bethlehem, along with Beit Jala and Beit Sahour is home to the majority of the Christians minorities living in the West Bank. This month old curfew threatens their presence in this land more than ever before. Reverend Alex Awad
Date posted: May 22, 2002 |
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