NOTE: A pastor I know in Jerusalem has pointed out, too, that Israeli policies of the last two decades have also continued to sink the percentage of Christians living in either the West Bank or in Israel proper. That is, Christians in Israel are being forced by circumstances to migrate to safer climates or places where work and rights can be had more readily.
COMPARING TWO HOLY LANDS: ISRAEL vs. JORDAN
The disgraceful increase in violence in Israel over the past decade poses a sad contrast to its much poorer Holy Land neighbour, Jordan-another country which has also been active in the peace process since the 1990s.
THE JORDAN TIMES editorial, entitled "A Thought for Humanity", in the 25th of December edition of the THE JORDAN TIMES indicates the degree of impatience Jordan and other neighbouring Holy Land states are having with both Israel's and Hamas' belligerent (i.e. round-the-wagons) approach to governance and failed peacemaking in this new Millennium.
The JT editorialist writes, "Here in Jordan, Christians live side by side with Muslims in complete harmony, proving that the two faiths are not, and need not, be in conflict with each other. There is no clash of civilisations, indeed of religions, in the Kingdom. Muslim and Christian Jordanians have always coexisted in peace, harmony and love, a model of tolerance and goodwill."
The author continues, "True Islam, those who know it, like Christianity, preaches peace, love and compassion for fellow human beings, irrespective of their faith."
Next, this same editor laments, "Despite the message of love and peace spread by the monotheistic religions, it is sad to see that the birthplace of Jesus Christ is the farthest away from peace. The Holy Land, even Bethlehem where Jesus was born, is denied peace, living under occupation and enslavement. As long as the Palestinians, Muslim and Christian alike, are denied freedom, there can be no peace in the Middle East or elsewhere in the world."
Besides asking that Christians, Muslims, and Jews work together more in this coming year to build peace, the editor also calls readers to take this Christmas period to pray for the Middle East.Concluding his article, this unknown editor states, "We should also strive to live by the injunctions of the prophets, showing compassion and goodwill towards those in need, now and throughout the year. Merry Christmas!"
CROSSING OVER FROM JERUSALEM TO BETHLEHEM 2007
I, myself, observed the façade being placed around the Monster Walls built recently by the Israelis separating Palestinians who live on the "wrong side of the wall" to go through sometimes lengthy and humiliating checkpoints on a daily basis.
Amazingly, one of those check points is at a very famous pilgrimage destination. This checkpoint is not often open for use.
The checkpoint is known in both Israel and in Palestine as the Tomb of Rachel, Abraham's wife. (Abraham is the father of oth the Jewish and Muslim faiths.)
This location of Rachel's Tomb is noted several times in the New Testament as the place where it had been prophesied already in Old Testament times that Rachel, the ancestor of King David and Jesus, would weep for the children of Bethlehem.
This weeping refers to the thousands of children slaughtered under King Herod's orders near the time of Jesus' birth in the town of Bethlehem. Some Catholic sources say that at least 14,000 boys under the age of two were killed in Bethlehem at that time.
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