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For Palestinian Christians, Trump is Christmas killjoy
BETHLEHEM, Palestinian Territories, Dec 22, 2017 (BSS/AFP) – US Vice
President Mike Pence may have postponed his visit, but Palestinian Christians
still say Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is
spoiling their Christmas.
In Bethlehem, thousands plan to celebrate on December 24 and 25, including
the midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity, built on the site considered
the birthplace of Jesus.
In good years the West Bank town is flooded with Palestinian and foreign
visitors in the days before Christmas.
But in the weeks before festivities this year, the city has at time
appeared almost empty of tourists — with nearby clashes between Palestinian
protesters and the Israeli army keeping many away.
In the courtyard next to the church, a towering Christmas tree adorned
with lights has had few visitors, apart from street vendors selling Santa
hats and Palestinians taking selfies.
Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the Latin
Patriarch of Jerusalem and the most senior Roman Catholic official in the
Middle East, told journalists Wednesday there had been a marked increase
overall in religious tourists this year.
But since Trump’s declaration on December 6, “dozens” of groups had
cancelled planned visits. “Of course this created a tension around Jerusalem
and this diverted attention from Christmas,” he said.
Jane Zalfou, a 37-year-old Bethlehem Christian, said a lot of Christmas
celebrations had been called off following the decision, which had “killed
the joy” in the community.
“Music, fireworks and many other things have been cancelled,” she told
AFP.
“What happened wasn’t a small thing — it is a big deal. The Palestinian
people have been waiting for so long to have their rights.”
Perhaps as few as 50,000 Palestinian Christians make up only around two
percent of the predominantly Muslim population in the West Bank and east
Jerusalem.
MORE/MR/ 1039 hrs
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Israel’s tourism ministry denies Christmas has been negatively affected,
saying they are running free shuttles between Jerusalem and Bethlehem for
mass.
The ministry says it expects a 20-percent increase in Christian pilgrims
over the course of 2017 compared to the year before.
– Evangelical support –
Israel seized east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed
it, in moves never recognised by the international community.
Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, but
Israel sees the whole city as its undivided capital.
The international community does not recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital, instead keeping embassies in Tel Aviv.
The Palestinians interpreted Trump’s statement as rejecting their right to
a capital in east Jerusalem, though the Americans deny this.
In the latest international show of support for the Palestinians, the
United Nations General Assembly on Thursday rejected the US decision on
Jerusalem by a vote of 128 to nine.
Trump’s announcement was the fulfilment of a campaign promise which was
particularly important to evangelical Christian supporters — with Pence
included among them.
The evangelical Christian movement is overwhelmingly supportive of Israel,
whose founding they see as the fulfilment of biblical prophecy.
Influential US evangelical Christian Laurie Cardoza-Moore said they want
to see a third Jewish temple built in Jerusalem to help facilitate Christ’s
second coming, but their support for Israel was based not merely on
scripture.
“Like Judaism, Christianity believes that the Messiah will one day sit on
the throne of David in Jerusalem,” she said in a statement to AFP.
The irony that American Christian support is one of the driving factors in
Trump’s embassy move is not lost on Palestinian Christians.
They see their fate as part of the wider Palestinian community, which
views Israel’s occupation as the largest problem they face.
Mitri Raheb, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in
Bethlehem, said Christian Americans supporting Israel were ignoring the
ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories.
“The essence of the Bible is freedom, not slavery, liberation not
occupation,” he told AFP.
“Unfortunately Trump and his people are sacrificing the Palestinian
Christians for their political agenda.”
Palestinians from the West Bank, including Christians, need special
permits to visit Jerusalem, while the Jewish state has built a wall
surrounding most of the city.
Georgette Qassis, a 65-year-old from Bethlehem wrapped in a blue scarf
embroidered with the word Jesus in English, agreed.
“Who gave Trump the right? We did not,” she said. “The Palestinian people
are here on this great land. They should have asked for our opinion.”
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1039hrs