War, Refugees, birthplace of Jesus, and the Pope

Yesterday I got the chance to go to the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem, and I must say it was an overwhelming experience in more than just a religious way. We were heading towards the checkpoint to Bethlehem from Ramallah, and it was taking a while, and the grade of the road was really really steep. We made it up thankfully, and then we had to deal with the checkpoint. We made it there, and two Israeli soldiers boarded the bus. They looked at us, and then demanded to see the passports of all the males on board. I showed them mine, and then they proceeded to take the Palestinian men off the bus. They were held for three hours, and so were we. I went off the bus to see how they were, and an Israeli soldier approached me. Apparently the checkpoint had a reputation for being one of the most violent and worst checkpoints in the West Bank. I showed the soldier my passport and red him the line that asks that US citizens be allowed to pass without delay or hindrance and he certainly did not like that. What happened next frightened me somewhat. He started screaming in my face to get on my bus immediately, and he took my passport, and then he gave it back to me and screamed louder in the tone of voice that undoubtedly says I'm getting ready to kill you. He pointed his M 16 a little higher and he made me walk in front of it. My friends told me that if I wasnt American he likely would have beat me or at least detained me for several hours. I view this military presence as a desecration of the holy birthplace of Jesus. Anyway, after they let the last palestinian friend of mine go, the guys told me that they had been selected for special interrogation where they would try and bribe them to be spies for Israel. If they did not show at the time given to them by the soldiers at the given location, they could be arrested. They also told me that guys who become spies for israel often get killed by the Palestinians for being spies. After we made it through, I discovered that I had not only asked that an Israeli soldier respect my right to visit a holy place, I had asked the commander of the checkpoint. Everyone was shocked that I spoke to him, but very proud of me that I had at least tried. They held us up for three hours without water in maybe 100 degree heat without the ability to use the bathroom or exit the bus. The bus was burning so much gas trying to stay cool we just turned it off.

I finally got to go to the holy city of Bethlehem, and I was able to visit the church of the nativity. It was such a wonderful feeling, but I had a knot in my stomach knowing how israeli men with machine guns were just a few miles away. There are three parts to the church: the roman catholic, the greek orthodox, and the armenian part. I saw the place of his birth and the manger. Apparently it is the oldest standing church in the world at around 1700 years old. I was also able to see the place where Joseph had his dream about going to Egypt. We also learned about the siege of the church of the nativity, where some palestinians, some combatant and some not, seeking refuge from the Israeli invasion into Bethlehem in 2002 fled for sanctuary. Apparently neither side respected the special status of the church. I saw the bullet holes in the top part of the church from the Israeli machine guns. The priests and other were surrounded for three weeks, 2 without food and water, until they reached a ceasefire.
It seems appalling that not even the birthplace of Jesus prince of peace is immune to violence from human hands.

Next we traveled to the Idaa refugee camp, and I wanted to cry. The Israelis have built a 30 foot high concrete wall with sniper positions on top walling in the refugees. The people are positive despite this. The artwork on the wall is incredible, and can only be described by showing it on facebook. The Pope was supposed to come to the camp, but the Israelis forced him to stay away from the wall to try and keep it out of the international spotlight. If I have ever seen apartheid, this is it. Arabs are treated as inferior human beings, and walls are built to make them live in cesspools so that they will be encouraged to leave. The refugees are descendants of people who were kicked out of their homes in 1948, and many people thought i summed up the israeli strategy when i asked what would happen when in 20 years there are no people alive who lived on that land. Then people will try and claim that they have no right to live on the land they were thrown from. The new generations of children are becoming less connected with their original villages every day. Also, just for good measure, the israelis threw up this horrible 30 foot tall wall right in the middle of a christian cemetery. Christians and Muslims suffer together under Israeli military occupation. It is also interesting to note that these people live 7 miles from Jerusalem, but are not allowed until they are about to die to go and pray at their holy sites in that city. If that's not apartheid, what do you call it?