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Church desecration, harassment, and violence have driven most Christians out of Bethlehem and into Israel and other countries since the Palestinians took official control over the city in 1991.
HISTORY OF BETHLEHEM IN A NUTSHELL
* Located five miles south of Jerusalem, it was the center of the Jewish tribe of Judah and the Kingdom of Judea in ancient times.
* Jews were a majority in this city until the Roman conquest in the first century.
* The Romans were followed by other invaders and occupiers: Muslim Arabs from the Arabian peninsula, Muslim Turks from the Ottoman Empire, and then the British from 1920 to 1948.
* After the Israeli war of independence, Bethlehem was occupied by Jordan, a country illegally created by the British out of Jewish land.
* Bethlehem was liberated by Israel in 1967, only to be surrendered by Israeli politicians through the treasonous Oslo Accords in 1995.
* Once in control of the city, Muslim Palestinians have driven most Christians out of the Palestinian Authority, while financially benefiting from international Christian tourism.
* As a result of Muslim harassment and violence, the Christian population of Bethlehem has shrunk from 60% to 20% (some cite as low as 10%) since 1995, with most Christians fleeing to Israel and other countries.
* During a confrontation with Israeli forces in 2002, Muslim terrorists took over the Church of the Nativity.
* During their stay they trashed and desecrated the church, defecating everywhere and using the Bible as toilet paper (read more further down this page).
This VIDEO is from 2012. Things have considerably deteriorated for Palestinian Christians since then. With Al Qaeda and ISIS as examples, Muslims in the land of Israel too are radicalizing even more.
The Muslim Ethnic Cleansing of Christians out of Bethlehem:
Palestinian persecution of Christians in Bethlehem
According to Christian belief, Bethlehem was the city in which Jesus was born on Christmas day, to be celebrated this weekend, December 25th. However, Bethlehem is no longer the Christian city it had been for the past 1,500 years.
Christians made up nearly two thirds of Bethlehem's population in the early 1990s, before the signing of the Oslo Accords which granted Arabs control over much of the Jewish Biblical heartland across the Green Line.
Today Christians are estimated to make up only 20% of the city's population. The decline has largely been caused by negative migration since the PA assumed full authority over Bethlehem in 1995.
Today Christians are estimated to make up only 20% of the city's population. The decline has largely been caused by negative migration since the PA assumed full authority over Bethlehem in 1995.
Palestinian Arab nationalism does not leave room for any Christian minority. Christians in Bethlehem feel that they are confined to a cultural and religious ghetto.
Radical left-wing journalist Gideon Levy, vociferously pro-Arab and anti-Israel, described the current state of Bethlehem. "There is no joy in Bethlehem. The shops are empty and the atmosphere is gloomy. Only the churchyard attracts tourists, who come for a moment and then immediately leave. The luxury hotel is empty during the period which should be the busiest time of the year." Levy wrote in Haaretz.
As usual, Levy automatically blames Israel, but the truth is somewhere else. (Haaretz, the most quoted Israeli newspaper, is partly owned by a German family with Nazi background.)
Bethlehem used to be crowded with tourists from all over the world. The markets were full of all manner of good things. And Arab children did good business selling olive branches to the masses of tourists.
The Church of the Nativity was a focal attraction in those days, and visitors had to wait in long lines for a short moment and a picture with the silver star indicating to Christians the location where Jesus is said to have been born.
Interior of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
MUSLIM HARASSMENT OF CHRISTIANS
It is not easy to be a Christian in Bethlehem.
It is not easy to be a Christian in Bethlehem.
Modesty patrols operate in the city alongside Hamas-affiliated groups, and they require Christians to dress modestly. They are not necessarily peaceful.
Isolated instances of intermarriage between Christians and Muslims lead to severe crisis and violence on the Muslim side. Christians are caught between a rock and a hard place.
Christians have to declare their loyalty to the Palestinian Arab cause - for the same reasons the Druse on the Golan Heights are compelled to declare their loyalty to the leaders of Syria.
CHRISTIAN ARABS WOULD RATHER BE UNDER ISRAELI SOVERIGNTY
CHRISTIAN ARABS WOULD RATHER BE UNDER ISRAELI SOVERIGNTY
Courageous attempts by Christians over the years to be annexed to the State of Israel have been repeatedly rejected.
The strife between the PA and Israel has been especially hard on the Christian community.
During the Second Intifada Christian residents and institutions were subject to repeated harassment by Arab armed forces.
Christian depression reached a nadir during Operation Defensive Shield, when Arab terrorists barricaded themselves inside the Church of the Nativity, along with 250 Christian clergymen and worshipers.
The State of Israel sought to avoid Christian casualties and causing harm to the church, and the incident ended in negotiations between the two parties. When the fighting ended, the damage to the site became clear: arson damage to the church complex, the looting of religious items, Arabs defecated all over the place and used Christian Bibles as toilet paper.
The desecration of the Church of the Nativity received no condemnations from the UN or UNESCO - or from Christian denominations.
Christians are being ethnically cleansed all over the Muslim Middle East
Christians face the same situation throughout the territories controlled by the PA and Hamas.
Christians face the same situation throughout the territories controlled by the PA and Hamas.
Christian emigration out of Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip increases as the 'Palestinian State' grows and takes shape. The Middle East is no different. In fact, the only place in the Middle East where there is growth among the Christian minority is the State of Israel.
Reverend Gabriel Naddaf acknowledges this and declared this year that without the State of Israel the Christians here would also be a persecuted minority, just like in the rest of the Middle East.
In Egypt, for example, the Coptic Christians are persecuted, and an attack which occurred recently claimed the lives of dozens of people in a Church bombing in Cairo. Tens of thousand of Christians are emigrating.
In Egypt, for example, the Coptic Christians are persecuted, and an attack which occurred recently claimed the lives of dozens of people in a Church bombing in Cairo. Tens of thousand of Christians are emigrating.
In Iraq, for example, 60% of the Christian population has left. In Lebanon, as Iranian funds are transferred for the purchase of Christian lands, the Shiites are carrying out their conquest of the Christian population, which is in retreat.
The conclusion is obvious. Only under Israeli control can Christians maintain their unique character in the Holy Land. It is clear, even if they do not declare it openly, that Christians, just like many Muslims in Judea and Samaria, yearn for Israeli control of Christian holy sites - what Arab nationalists call "occupation".
Based on report by
Further references
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THE SILENT STRUGGLE OF BETHLEHEM CHRISTIANS
In the meantime, it is quite clear that the West Bank’s Christian population is diminishing. In 2013, Rosanna Rafel reported that “in British-mandated Palestine, before the establishment of Israel in 1948, the percentage of the Christian population stood at 18 percent. This figure has now dwindled to under 1.5 percent.”
This plummeting Christian population is invariably blamed on the “Israeli occupation.” But if this is so, why isn’t the Muslim population diminishing too?
Christians are escaping the West Bank because of anti-Christian persecution.
In Bethlehem, Christians are not just a minority population in an overwhelmingly Muslim community. They aren’t simply marginalized; they don’t just suffer discrimination. Too often, they are threatened and intimidated; injured or even killed. They are cautious. They are uneasy. Many of them live in fear.
In the March 2016 issue of Providence Magazine, The Philos Project Executive Director Robert Nicholson wrote a persuasive article, “Why are Palestinian Christians Fleeing?”
He explained that “the Palestinian Authority – the government created by the PLO to manage the West Bank and Gaza – is, by its own constitution, an Islamic state that embodies the principles of sharia.”
Christians living under the PA are “accorded sanctity and respect,” but, as is the case under all sharia-based systems, Christians are relegated to the status of second-class citizens. Of course, it is illegal to convert from Islam to Christianity. Let’s not even mention the fact that sale of land to Jews is a crime punishable by death.Discrimination against Christians under the Palestinian Authority isn’t just legal – it’s also social. Living as a Christian, one is constantly reminded that he or she is not a member of the majority culture.
Bethlehem’s Christians are at risk of being detained by authorities based on vague accusations. An “interview” with local officials may lead to stern threats or, even more frightening, to an arrest on trumped-up charges.
Bethlehem under Muslim control
Justus Weiner, a scholar at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, has written extensively about the condition of Christians under the Palestinian Authority.
“Under that regime,” Weiner explained to me, “Christian Arabs have been victims of frequent human rights abuses by Muslims. There are many examples of intimidation, beatings, land theft, firebombing of churches and other Christian institutions, denial of employment, economic boycotts, torture, kidnapping, forced marriage, sexual harassment, and extortion. PA officials are directly responsible for many of the human rights violations.”
Weiner told me that Muslims who have converted to Christianity are in the greatest danger. They are defenseless against abuse by Muslim fundamentalists. Some have been murdered.
Many Christians are subject to various fees and fines, which amount to bureaucratic extortion or protection money – a thinly disguised “jizya” tax.
Meanwhile, story after story confirm that Christian women are sexually harassed, threatened and even raped for not following Islamic dress codes.
In recent years, several church properties in Bethlehem have been vandalized, set ablaze or invaded by violent intruders during celebrations or worship services. PA law enforcement usually arrives long after the emergency call is made – if at all.
Palestinian Christians describe how Muslim terrorists would commandeer Christian homes and use them to direct sniper fire on Israeli soldiers. Others speak of systematic discrimination in hiring, housing and education. Of course, all of these conversations take place in private meetings and hushed tones.
Read full article
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THE MUSLIM SIEGE OF THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY IN 2002
During the 2002 siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Palestinians took over the building and desecrated it, defecated in it, used the Bible as toilet paper.
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| A Greek Orthodox priest, held hostage by Palestinians who took refuge in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, is holding a sign saying “PLEASE HELP,” April 2002. (Government Press Office) |
Palestinian terrorists members of Yasser Arafat’s Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, seized church stockpiles of food and “ate like greedy monsters” until the food ran out, while more than 150 civilians went hungry, the Washington Times report said.
The indulgence lasted about two weeks into the 39-day siege, when the food and drink ran out, according to an account by four Greek Orthodox priests trapped inside. A church helper told the Times the quantity of food consumed by the gunmen in the first 15 days should have lasted six months.
Angry Orthodox priests showed reporters empty bottles of whiskey, champagne, vodka, cognac and French wine on the floor along with hundreds of cigarette butts.
“They should be ashamed of themselves. They acted like animals, like greedy monsters.
Come, I will show you more,” said one priest, who declined to give his name.
Computers were taken apart and a television set dismantled for use as a hiding place for weapons.
“You can see what repayment we got for ‘hosting’ these so-called guests,” said Archbishop Ironius, according to the Times report.
“They should be ashamed of themselves. They acted like animals, like greedy monsters. Come, I will show you more,” said one priest, who declined to give his name.
Computers were taken apart and a television set dismantled for use as a hiding place for weapons.
“You can see what repayment we got for ‘hosting’ these so-called guests,” said Archbishop Ironius, according to the Times report.
Not infrequently during the intifada, youths threw stones from the Church of the Nativity at nearby Christians and pilgrims.
In August 1989 a large PLO flag was raised over the cross at the top of the Carmel Monastery in Bethlehem. Slogans such as “Islam will triumph” and “PLO everywhere” were inscribed on the monastery’s walls. IDF forces, when they entered the monastery to take down the flag, discovered that the flagpole was booby-trapped with explosives. The explosives were safely neutralized and the flag removed.
Sources
What happened, and Christian clergy reaction
Where is the outrage?
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The Church's long tradition of either killing Jews, or supporting those who kill Jews
CHRISTIAN CHURCHES, THE VATICAN IN PARTICULAR, have a tacit agreement with Muslims. They refrain from criticizing Islam's barbarism and persecution of Christians in exchange for Muslims attacking Jews in Israel, with the ultimate goal of dismantling the Jewish state.
The Church's relationship with genocidal Palestinians is very, very close. This is reminiscent of the Church's tacit approval of the Holocaust during the 1940s.
JESUS WOULD BE CALLED A SETTLER IN ISRAEL, AND WOULD LIKELY BE MURDERED BY MUSLIM ARABS
- The hypocrisy of Christian churches who worship Jesus, while agitating for the surrender of his land to the Muslim invader, indifferent to Christians being persecuted and slaughtered in Muslim countries
READ MORE
ALSO SEE:
THE VATICAN'S BOUNDLESS HATE FOR JEWS
READ MORE
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2015/05/the-vaticans-boundless-hate-for-jews.html
- Although Christians are being slaughtered by Muslims in the thousands, the Pope recognizes the Islamic State of Palestine, where Christians are being harassed and persecuted
- The Christian Church's wicked alliance with Islam as long as Muslims keep killing Jews and threatening to destroy Israel
- The disturbing history of the Vatican's diplomatic war against Israel
READ MORE
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2015/05/the-vaticans-boundless-hate-for-jews.html
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THIS IS HOW PALESTINIANS TREAT CHRISTIAN AND JEWISH BIBLICAL SACRED SITES IN ISRAEL
From harassment of Jewish worshipers, to arson, to outright murder. This is how Muslim Palestinians treat ancient Jewish (and Christian) sacred sites. Now they claim exclusive ownership of Jerusalem, while denying all Jewish connection to the city and Temple Mount - never mind history and archaeological evidence to the contrary.
Joseph's Tomb set on fire by Muslim Palestinians at least twice
ON THIS PAGE:
- Latest Palestinian arson of Joseph's Tomb
- What is Joseph's Tomb?
- The October 2000 Arab arson and desecration of Joseph's Tomb
- The 2011 murder of unarmed Jewish worshiper at Joseph Tomb by a Palestinian Authority policeman, armed with weapons by the USA. One of several murders of Jews by Arabs at the site.
- Link to Joseph's Tomb's news archive.
- The September 2015 set fire to St Charbal's church in Bethlehem, a city under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
- The May 2014 Palestinian attack on worshipers at a village church near Bethlehem.
- The 2002 siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where Arabs desecrated the place, defecated in it, and used bibles as toilet paper.
- What the arson at Joseph's Tomb tell us about the Palestinians
- When Jerusalem was under Jordanian occupation before 1967, the Arabs used Jewish tombs from Mount of Olives as latrines.
- Palestinian persecution of Christian Arabs
- Israeli Christian priest makes speech at the UN stating that Israel is the only safe place for Christians in the Middle East
- Watch VIDEO of the latest fire set by Palestinians at the Joseph's Tomb compound.
READ MORE
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PAT CONDELL:
VIDEO - The Great Palestinian Lie
JERUSALEM AT NIGHT
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