Bethlehem Ghetto

Bethlehem Ghetto

justicewheels — April 25, 2010 — The Ghetto of Bethlehem is shrinking, the people are resisting but feel abandoned by the self-appointed leadership. Many people complain that the Prime Minister who was not elected or confirmed by the parliament comes to give his blessings to projects or to plant a tree for the cameras. In fact he symbolically planted a tree in Mitris front yard after the army bulldozed his trees. Internationals and locals replaced the childrens swings and slide only to see them pulled out again a few days later. We now have the video of the dragging of nonviolent protesters from the garden of Mitri and tape of the destruction of his childrens playground http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1iWdi...

Saturday night we had an educational protest to hundreds of Italian tourists who were brought by the catholic church on pilgrimage. We were distressed to find that they had coordinated their visit with the Palestinian ministry of tourism AND with the Israeli ministry of tourism. We objected to the way it was presented and dealt with. The wall is not after all a border between states to march to for peace and play games on the other side. The wall is an illegal apartheid structure built on occupied territories separating Palestinians in the shrinking Bethlehem Ghetto from their land and from other Palestinians and from their holy sites in Jerusalem. As the Italians were crossing the apartheid wall, the Israeli army was extending the wall around Al-Walaja village of Bethlehem and destroying more of Mitris land. But Al-Walaja people were heroic on Sunday. They delayed the uprooting of their trees at a cost to themselves: over 30 were injured and several detained. Internationals and Israelis were there. I will try to get you the link to a video of the actual action. It is hard for us to be at many places of destruction at one time and we lack resources to get video cameras in the hands of qualified people to document the atrocities so this initial video (photographed by another person) has little of the more rough and tumble action.



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Mosaic News - Fresh Violence Breaks Out on Israel-Gaza Border, Assad: Direct Peace Negotiations With Israel Are Possible 12/24/08

Mosaic News - 12/24/08: World News From The Middle East

'Fresh Violence Breaks Out on Israel-Gaza Border,' Al Jazeera TV, Qatar 00:00
'Assad: Direct Peace Negotiations With Israel Are Possible,' Abu Dhabi TV, UAE 04:00
'Piracy is a Way of Life in Somalia,' Al Arabiya TV, UAE 08:10
'Iran-Malaysia Relations Strengthen,' Al-Alam TV, Iran 10:10
'Combating Corruption in Iraq,' Al-Iraqiya TV, Iraq 12:55
'Largest Christmas Tree in Jordan,' Jordan TV, Jordan 15:20
'Pilgrims Flock into Bethlehem,' Dubai TV, UAE 18:35
'The Middle East in 2009,' Link TV, USA 21:15

Produced for Link Tv by Jamal Dajani."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Gaza's trapped Christians struggle to celebrate - 25 Dec 08

Gaza's trapped Christians struggle to celebrate - 25 Dec 08:

"Christians from across the world are flocking to what is believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, in Bethlehem.
But with all the Gaza crossings shut by Israel, Christian families there have to apply for permission to leave first.

Sherine Tadros visited one of the many families not allowed to make the pilgrimage."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Bethlehem: Christmass 2008

Bethlehem: Christmass 2008:

"A short film featuring a Palestinian Christian family during Christmas of 2008. The film is fully produced by IMEMC video Production Unit.

bethlehem, christmas, 2008, nativity, church, Ayyad, Beit Sahour, Christians, Palestine, Palestinian, Israel, wall, occupation, family"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Palestinians in Bethlehem face eviction - 24 Dec 08

Palestinians in Bethlehem face eviction - 24 Dec 08: "Palestinian Christians living in Bethlehem could be spending their last Christmas in their hometown.

They live next to Jewish settlements and that means they also face the constant threat of eviction by the Israeli authorities.

Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh reports."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Tell the world: Bethlehem Today - slideshow

YouTube - Tell the world: Bethlehem Today - slideshow:

"45 slides tell the story of how historic Bethlehem, known the world over as the birthplace of Jesus, faces a crisis for its very survival."

From the "Open Bethlehem Campaign"

Tell the world: The Rachel's Tomb case - slideshow

YouTube - Tell the world: The Rachel's Tomb case - slideshow:

"How the Rachel's Tomb area of historic Bethlehem has been adversely affected by the construction of an Israeli settlement, military base and the notorious concrete 'security barrier' which snakes through the district. The biblical road into Bethlehem has become a concrete walled corridor."