Statement by the Municipal Council of Bethlehem

Statement by the Municipal Council of Bethlehem

Clouds of suffering and pain continue to overshadow Bethlehem the Town of Christ, the source of the eternal message of peace. Peace is still missing in the land of peace and the people of Bethlehem just like the rest of the Palestinian people have to swallow the bitterness of the Israeli occupation and its aggressive practices daily.

At the time when the president of the United States of America Mr. Barack Obama visits Bethlehem on this day of Friday March 22nd2013, the Israeli occupation still lies heavily on our national soil :confiscating land, building settlements, arresting our people, deporting freemen, demolishing houses and stealing water amongst other violations. Bethlehem has been transformed into a closed area surrounded by a group of Israeli settlements and the separation wall. The ugly wall has suffocated the Town, separated it from its historic twin Jerusalem and isolated it from the outside world, the matter which negatively affected all aspects of our daily life: economy, trade, health, sports, social… and deprived our Town from any future growth. Arrival of pilgrims and tourists into the Town has become difficult while the movement of our people and their freedom of accessing the holy places for praying in Jerusalem has been severely limited.

The continuation of arresting Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails simply for being freedom and independence seekers, and detaining them amidst extremely difficult circumstances, constitutes a violent breach to all conventions and international laws. The Church of the Nativity deportees are still subject to a compulsory exile for more than eleven years now. The municipal council confirms upon the need for their immediate return together with all expatriates, and calls for the liberation of all prisoners.

The municipal council of Bethlehem asks the president of the United States of America, the main sponsor of the peace process in the middle east, as he visits the Grotto of the Nativity which represents the values of rightness ,justice, and peace, asks him to deal with our Palestinian cause fairly and to bear his responsibilities in implementing the international legitimacy resolutions concerning ending the Israeli occupation to our Palestinian land which is considered the major obstacle in front of achieving peace in the region. The council calls upon him not to spare any effort to lift the continuing oppression inflicted upon our Palestinian people since sixty five years.

The Municipal Council of Bethlehem