The Bethlehem of our Christmas story is very different in reality

There are two main times of the year that Christians especially think of the Holy Land of Palestine-Israel. Christmas, of course, is one of the main ones, with the focus being on the town of Bethlehem, primarily in a fairy-tale sort of way. I, however, tend to focus on the town as it is currently.

I have followed the situation in Palestine-Israel for some time and have made it a point to learn about it. Like many, I sympathized with Israel, seeing it as a victim-country related to my Christianity through Jesus. Now, however, through learning the history and the present situation, through reading and the Internet, especially daily social media, I see things in a much different light. Our mainstream media (MSM) tend to portray things as I first saw them. When they do have a story, which is not often, they tend not to give us the full context.

Now the town of Bethlehem is a Palestinian town located in what is known as the West Bank. Historically, it has been thought of as a Christian town. Yes, there are Christian Palestinians. They are Arabs like many Palestinians, but many have left because of the turmoil. There is now fear that the land of Jesus may eventually be bereft of its Christians.

Bethlehem is very close to Jerusalem and, traditionally, its folks traveled there for shopping and business, much like folks from Versailles and Frankfort come to Lexington. There is a big wall, an “Apartheid Wall,” surrounding Bethlehem and Bethlehemites, like all Palestinians, are restricted in their movement by Israel. Today, Mary and Joseph could not reach Bethlehem from Nazareth. Also, Palestinian Christians from elsewhere, like Gaza, are not able to travel to Bethlehem to the Church of the Nativity because of Israeli travel restrictions, as are Palestinian Christians not able to travel to Jerusalem to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Easter. Non-Palestinian Christians can do both.

I have told you of the town of Christmas, but this also has to do with us as well as those of Bethlehem and all Palestinians in their native land and in their diaspora. Palestinians have been deemed by human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, to be living under the system of apartheid, such as in South Africa, from studies these group have done. In Kentucky and the South when I grew up, we had the system of Jim-Crow segregation. Israel also appears to be ethnic cleansing Palestinianians to make the Land all “Jewish.” I will say that these are Zionist Jews who are not claimed by all Jews.

Now, I want to say that this commentary is not all about over there. It is also about over here. The United States government gives at least $3.8 billion to Israel every year, per a ten-year agreement, $10 million per day, of our tax money, in military aid to prop up this brutal, cruel, home-demolishing, land-theiving, arresting, imprisoning, and killing apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and on-going occupation. According to the United States Campaign for Palestinian Rights and its “U.S. Military Funding to Israel Map,” this money could have provided for 46,982 more elementary school teachers or 2,525,252 more people receiving food assistance in the U.S. With Kentucky”s contribution of $31,023,824, our Commonwealth could have 384 more elementary school teachers or 20,617 more people receiving food assistance. Lexington-Fayette County, with its contribution of $2,657,111, could provide for 33 more elementary school teachers or 1,766 more people receiving food assistance.

I, for one, have come to deplore what the State of Israel is doing to the Palestinian people and with our money, at the behest of our government. This needs to stop and that should help stop Israel’s shenanigans because money talks.

Israelis are doing to Palestinians what European-Americans did to the Native Americans. Such was wrong then and is wrong now. For me, what is known as the Holy Land is being defiled.

Anne G. Woodhead, formerly of Frankfort, resides in Lexington. She is associated with the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), and CODEPINK: Women for Peace.