Christmas in Bethlehem

2012 years ago, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem from a young woman from Nazareth. If this were to happen two millenniums later, the story would have been completely different.

Christians and non-Christians alike are familiar with the story of Jesus, Mary traveled through the night with Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem to give birth to the future Christian savior. If this were to happen 2000 years later, Mary and Joseph would have had to pass a series of checkpoints and roadblocks. Worst case scenario, Jesus would have been born along the separation barrier, as many Palestinian children have or Joseph and Mary would have been turned away, however it is most likely they would have had to endure a series of security checks, possible interrogations and hours wasted at the checkpoints.

Of course, the Israeli embassy has a different viewpoint. In fact, Israel In Ireland facebook page has posted ‘A thought for Christmas… If Jesus and mother Mary were alive today, they would, as Jews without security, probably end up being lynched in Bethlehem by hostile Palestinians. Just a thought…’

Not only does this statement reek of Orientalist convictions, painting all Palestinians as barbarians, but also it robs the Palestinian Christians of their heritage. They paint all Palestinians as Muslim barbarians, monopolize their claims to the Holy Land, and whitewash their horrific treatment of Palestinian Christians and Christian institutions. The Israeli government is not innocent; not only were the Palestinian Christians victims of the ethnic cleansing of 1948 and 1967, but they have also been direct targets of the Israeli government. It was only 10 years ago that the Israeli government sieged the city of Bethlehem and waged a series of air strikes on the Nativity Church, the birth place of Jesus Christ.

Israeli settlers stepped up their attacks on Christian holy sites, the so-called price-tag attacks, where churches and other Christian sites are defaced with vile and hateful graffiti messages such as ‘Jesus is a monkey’, ‘Jesus is the son of a whore’ and ‘Death to Christianity, we will crucify you’. Not only has the Israeli government did little to nothing to halt these attacks and bring justice to those who were harmed, but settler organizations play an active part in the Israeli government.

It really does not matter if Jesus was born to a Jewish mother in this day and age, he would have likely been deported or imprisoned for his message of tolerance and peace. He would have not been on the side of the oppressors, aiding their hateful message; he would have been helping the oppressed, lending his voice to their grievances. It is insulting for the Israeli embassy in Ireland to rob the Palestinian Christians of their religion, and to insinuate all Palestinians are barbarians.

Jesus was born to a Nazareth woman, in the city of Bethlehem, Palestine. He died in Jerusalem after preaching his message of tolerance and peace. Jesus is part of the Palestinian heritage and if he were to live today, his experience would have been completely different.

Merry Christmas!

Mohammed and his Birthday Cake

Today when I logged on to facebook, I saw images plastered of a teenage boy celebrating his 17th birthday. In the picture there was the god-awful fruit sponge cake that looks delicious on the outside but is sugary and moist on the inside. The teenage boy was called Mohammed As-Salayma, from Hebron, and although he looked older than his age, nevertheless you can see the youthful look on his face.

‘Today was Mohammed's birthday, #IOF shot him dead as he was going to get a cake to celebrate with his family. Mohammaed is the brother of Awad Slaymeh who was liberated by Hamas- Occupation exchange deal and deported to Gaza’.

It was horrible to imagine how this teenage boy who was celebrating his birthday had no clue that it would be his last. There are few events that one looks forward to in their lives and birthdays are one of them. It was suppose to be a celebration of his life, yet it was a mourning for his death. 

Although Palestinians die every other day and at times society is jaded to the increasing toll of martyrs, still it was a dark reminder that we too can lose our lives in a split second. The image was astounding, this was not a militant or a ‘terrorist’, this was simply a 17 year old school-kid who was celebrating with his friends. The pictures are all of his birthday party, there is cake, jello, school kids and friends. This almost resembles the countless class birthday celebrations I had while I was still in school. He reminds me of my school days, where any birthday was an excuse for the class to have cake and celebrate, play a couple of ‘happy birthday to you’ songs and maybe dance a little. This picture brought a wave of nostalgia and childhood memories, yet my memories did not have a sad ending. 

 Later on, Mohammed’s ‘killer’ so to say was revealed. This really was the most astounding and shocking part of the story. The Israeli soldier was an attractive 18-20 year old girl who embodied a typical youth in this day and age. Her information was revealed and out of curiosity, I glanced through her facebook profile. 

Here you have a young woman, lounging by the pool with her friends having a couple of martinis and enjoying life. Is that the face of a murderer? Is that the face of a killer? I don’t know. Her profile resembles many of my friends’ profiles, pictures with friends, on the beach, having fun. There is no hint of any militarism or politics. She seemed like a typical profile on facebook. Then I wondered, how can she sleep at night knowing she shot a 17 year old boy on his birthday? I don’t know. There is no malice behind the question; it is simply curiosity. I started to put myself in her shoes, how would I react if I shot a 17 year old boy? How would I be able to cope with taking the life of another human being? How would I be able to return to normal life knowing that I have destroyed the lives of his family and loved ones? 

This event just confirms the devastating consequences of the continued occupation. You have a typical 18 year old girl hailing from a militarized society, trained to see the other side as the enemy and shed her humanity in the process. You have a 17 year old who was the victim of this process. Who is to blame? Should we blame the Israeli girl? Does she bear complete responsibility, or is the Israeli army responsible for this mess?

I do not harness any hatred or anger towards this girl, rather, my disgust is directed at the continued occupation, colonization and the lack of accountability. The system has to be dismantled and humanity must take precedence. We must not forget our humanity, even if we have entered a morally deficient institution.

R.I.P Mohammed.

El Al - is it really for security reasons?

Israel seems to hail itself to be a democratic nation, often sighting several 'procedures' as defense, or often saying it's because of "security" reasons.

Recently, BA has gone on strike, leaving me to find alternative airline companies in order to come back to Jerusalem. After a fruitless search, I found El Al. I've never flown with El Al before and so I was a bit hazy especially after everything that has been going on in Jerusalem.

As I reached the airport, I've shown my German passport. Security came and asked me, "What is the purpose of your visit?" "Actually, I live in Israel, I'm just a student in university". Faces look suspicious... "where do you live in Israel?" "Jerusalem". "Where in Jerusalem?" "East Jerusalem - Shufat".

That was the buzz word. That was exactly what they were looking for. It was interesting because one word just triggered everything. In a second, the security person rushed off to her colleagues, and within seconds I was told I needed to be escorted for security checks. And so I was escorted. I was told to stay outside, while they took my bag and handbag. 3 if not more, security people went into the other room, cracking open my lock and searching my bag. I was left baffled, not knowing what exactly was going on. I was no stranger to security checks, in fact, every time I left Ben Gurion Airport, I was subjected to number 6 - the highest security number which included a full body search, sometimes a strip search.

After tearing my bag apart, the security woman came back and asked me more questions. It was the same old, same old. "What is the purpose of your visit to Israel?" "How long are you staying?" "Where do you live?" "Where do you study?" "When are you coming back?" "How long have you been living in Israel?" Same old, same old. They've become so predictable that I don't even need to think about my answers. After the checks, I was told that I would retrieve my handbag at the gate; they gave me my passport, my wallet and a receipt.

Finally I reached the gate, when I was told that there was some "problems" with my luggage. Apparently my laptop has set off an alarm that they could not ignore, and thus it was sent to even more security checks. Ironically, they kept asking me for an address to deliver to, and when I told them it was "Shufat" for the 100th time, they said unfortunately they do not deliver to these areas. It does make one thing, have they not listened to anything I have been saying? Are these security people really that stupid and malicious? I've told them at least 10 times that I live in Shufat, so one does wonder why on earth would they ask for my address knowing fully well they cannot deliver there.
After that, I was subjected to a body search, asked to take my top off, and take off my skirt. I remember my mom once asked the security people "why on earth are you doing this?" and then had her name written in the security room. One does wonder, if we are under a regime where criticism is not allowed? Or just simple question asking? I was too tired to argue, too tired to fight, I've been travelling all night and all I really wanted to do is just see my family and sleep.

Finally, I was told that I could not board the plane without the security person. I was the only person who had to be subjected to this treatment. I've come to the conclusion that I was the only Palestinian boarding the plane. I felt isolated, and humiliated.

Sadly, this is only a standardized procedure, which one thinks has nothing to do with "security reasons". Are Jews and Israelis innocent of conducting bombings, attacks, and suspicious behavior, or is it just reserved for us Palestinians?