Alien59

Für Christen ist heute Bethlehem eigentlich der allerwichtigste Ort – dachte ich. Seit gestern sammeln sich bei mir Photos, Artikel und Tweets an, die ich hier zusammenstelle, auch wenn ich das eigentlich nicht geplant hatte.

Joseph Dana war so nett, mir zu erlauben, dieses Bild des palästinensischen Besatzungsweihnachtsbaums, hergestellt aus leeren Tränengaskanistern, für meinen blog zu verwenden:

Von ihm stammt auch das nächste Bild, heute nachmittag in Bethlehem:

Nur, da muss man erst mal hinkommen. Israel gab damit an, dass 500 Christen aus Gaza eine Reiseerlaubnis bekommen würden – mir verschlug es die Sprache. Nach den Oslo-Verträgen sind Gaza und Westbank ein Land, diese Reisehindernisse sind regelmäßig unrechtmäßig, und die „Erlaubnisse“ eher eine Frechheit. Außerdem dürfen nur Menschen unter 16 und über 35 reisen – also entweder man reist oder man feiert mit der ganzen Familie. Für Gaza ist es ohnehin noch schwieriger im Allgemeinen.

For Ramy and the 3,000-strong Christian community in Gaza, festive Christmas celebrations go hand-in-hand with isolation and travel restrictions to Bethlehem, despite Israeli public claims to the contrary.

But this year holds hope for a happier occasion, despite the obstacles that Palestinian Christians in Gaza continue to face.

“Christmas helps children remember they are young,” explained Ramy, describing the traditions of the Greek Orthodox community, which celebrates Christmas on January 7. “On Christmas Day we go to our grandmother’s house and my whole family has lunch together. It is a small Eid (feast) but we celebrate for three days, visiting each others’ homes.”

Jaber El Jelda, a distant relative of Ramy, is the director of the Orthodox Church, one of Gaza’s few churches, along with the Baptist Church and Holy Family Catholic Church. He explained how the Orthodox Christian community marks the occasion.

“We organize a party on the first of January and offer children gifts, celebrating Christmas with songs and folklore and the traditional Palestinian dabka dance. We, and members of the Baptist and Catholic churches celebrate in each others’ celebrations. We’re like one.”

Although Christmas in Gaza bears a resemblance to its portrayal in other countries, the echoes are overwhelmingly superficial, as Ramy explained, “We put up a tree in the home and decorate it with bells. We put candles and holly around the house and children receive gifts of money, called eideyya.”

Ramy considers Christmas in Gaza to be disconnected to festivities outside of the siege. “Christmas in Gaza is different; it is a local celebration, not connected to Christmas outside. We don’t really ‘do’ Santa and it’s not like I’ve seen Christmas celebrated in the movies.”

Die Lage Bethlehems ist ohnehin prekär.

Auf diesem Photo von Joseph Dana sieht man oben am Rand die israelische Siedlung Har Homa liegen. Die Siedlungen drohen, langsam aber sicher Bethlehem endgültig von Jerusalem abzuschneiden.

Rae Abileah @raeabileah

If Joseph & Mary set off to Bethlehem from Nazareth today, they would have 2 cross 11 Israeli checkpoints, & a 30 foot wall via Karen Beatty

  20 Dez 11

Der Guardian dazu ausführlich und mit Hintergründen:

„This really is the big problem for Palestinians in Bethlehem: what will happen when they close us off completely?“

Bethlehem is the heart of Christian Palestine and it swells with pride every Christmas. Manger Square is transformed into a grotto of lights and stalls crowned by a towering Christmas tree. Strings of illuminated angels, stars and bells festoon the streets. But just a few minutes’ drive to the north, the festive atmosphere stops abruptly.

A strip of Israeli settlements built on 18 sq km of what was once northern Bethlehem threatens to cut the city off from its historic twin, Jerusalem. To the Israeli authorities, these have been neighbourhoods of Jerusalem since 1967. One of the settlements, Har Homa, is built on land where angels are said to have announced the birth of Christ to local shepherds. A narrow corridor of land between Har Homa and another settlement, Gilo, still connects Bethlehem to Jerusalem but the construction of Givat Hamatos, a new settlement announced in October, will fill this in a matter of years.

Joseph Dana fasste seine Gedanken dazu heute in zwei seiner berühmten Tweets:

Joseph Dana @ibnezra

Difficult to comprehend how the millions of Christians around the world have allowed the situation of occupation to get so bad in Bethlehem

24 Dez 11

Joseph Dana @ibnezra

Speaking with people here you can't avoid the feeling that Bethlehem has been left out to dry. At least, this is the sentiment expressed

24 Dez 11

Wie er eben mitteilt, regnet es in Bethlehem, heute, am 24.12.2011, kurz nach 19 Uhr. Das ist gut, hier lieben wir jeden Regentropfen, der das durstige Land erquickt. Regen ist Rahma, eine Gnade.

Artikel zuerst hier auf meinem Blog erschienen.