Diaries of Beit Sahour

By:
Ghassan Andoni
PCR Exc. Director

Beit Sahour (the site of the Shepherds’ Field) resides on a small hill to the east of Bethlehem. With a well-known history of active peaceful resistance, Beit Sahour established a reputation of promoting peace and justice in this troublesome area. The non-violent civil disobedience 1988, the tax resistance, and dialogue and reconciliation activities, are landmarks in the history of this town. Having a population of 12,000 residents 80% of them Christians and 20% Moslems, Beit Sahour presented a marvelous example of the Christian-Moslem brotherhood in the holy Land.

Beit Sahour suffers tremendously from a military camp establish at its eastern border and Har Homa settlement which is being constructed on land expropriated from the northern borders of the town. While both took over the land reserve of the town and hindered its ability to develop and expand, recently, both sites are becoming trenches for tanks that are bombarding the town on nightly basis.

As a result 120 homes were severely damaged. 300 families were forced to evacuate their homes and become refugees inside their town. Thanks God that no one so far was seriously hurt or injured. Yet people are terrified, terrorized, and in particular kids are showing symptoms of sever traumas. The city is becoming a target for the Israeli army to revenge, pressurizes Palestinians to stop the Intifada, and sometimes a target for Israeli soldiers to vent their hatred and anger.

We call upon people who stand for peace and for the right of this town to live in peace to help us remove the military camp from the eastern borders of the town. We are sure that this camp has no security significant to anyone yet we accept a third party evaluation in this regard. Some facts to be considered: There are no nearby settlements; There are no near by roads used by Israelis. All of the settlers to the east are using Gosh Itzion road to Jerusalem. If this camp is removed the direct military threat to the town will reach an end.