Bulldozers guarded by armed personnel have started cutting down and uprooting olive trees in the Cremisan area near Bethlehem, in preparation for the construction of the latest section of the controversial Israeli separation wall.
Bulldozers guarded by armed personnel have started cutting down and uprooting olive trees in the Cremisan area near Bethlehem, in preparation for the construction of the latest section of the controversial Israeli separation wall.
Local observers spoke of “wanton destruction” to their land and livelihood.
Cremisan is the location of the last remaining forest in Bethlehem, and a principle source of income to many farmers who depend upon fertilized agricultural land.
It is one of the last green spaces in the famous city – reputedly the birth place of Jesus – which is the object of an international civil and religious campaign calling for an end to the segregation policy.
It is also one of Bethlehem’s few recreational sites, a place for local weekend breaks and longer holidays. It hosts the only winery in Palestine, two monasteries and a kindergarten.
Critics say that constructing the separation wall in this area will cut off the northern part of Bethlehem altogether.
Israel argues that the wall is necessary for internal security and that attacks against its citizens have declined as a result. Palestinians say that it is about collective punishment, economic isolation and a further partition of illegally occupied territory.
Independent analysts suggest that the wall has some security benefits, but cannot be explained in these terms alone and does not offer the kind of protection claimed for it.
However it does have the effect of dividing Palestinians from each other, as well as Palestinians from Israelis, and it makes life much more difficult for those impacted by it. The wall is also a major source of anger and resentment.
Church and civic leaders are calling for pressure from the international community “to stop further Israeli land confiscation activities in Beit Jala city”.
In a recent letter, they declared: “In the Holy City of Bethlehem, the wall forcefully expropriates most of Bethlehem’s valuable land and historic landmarks, depriving many Christian families of their homes, barring access to family and jobs in Jerusalem and all the lands that are on the other side of the wall.”
An international ‘Open Bethlehem’ campaign was recently created to address the state of emergency in the city, with full support from the Patriarchs of the churches in Jerusalem and Bethlehem’s main civil institutions.
The Open Bethlehem coalition has also launched an ‘international passport’ initiative in a bid to keep the town open.
Pope Benedict XVI received the first Open Bethlehem passport, lending his support to the campaign alongside international figures such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, and former President Jimmy Carter.
