Today is May 4th. It is the day that the Greek Orthodox community celebrates what we call ‘Sabet Al Noor’, meaning the Saturday of the light. A torch comes from the place of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and is brought to Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity. It then goes on to Beit Sahour and Beit Jala.
Today is May 4th. It is the day that the Greek Orthodox community celebrates what we call ‘Sabet Al Noor’, meaning the Saturday of the light. A torch comes from the place of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and is brought to Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity. It then goes on to Beit Sahour and Beit Jala.
We have been informed by the Mayor of Beit Sahour, Mr. Fuad Kokaly, that the curfew will only be lifted from 1.00pm until 7.00p.m, and only in Beit Jala and Beit Sahour. The citizens of Bethlehem are not allowed to practice their Holy right to celebrate the coming of the light. The silence in Bethlehem is deadly today.
For the past 5 weeks the Nativity Church has suffered an unrelenting siege of Israeli tanks and troops. The IDF have announced that they will not allow any Christians to enter near the Nativity Church where almost 200 people have been imprisoned for the past 5 weeks. They are starving, there are injured, and Israel denies even the most basic of humanitarian assistance to these people. A man was shot and mortally wounded this morning. Will they just kill everyone?
When is the Christian world going to speak out and demand the full withdrawal of Israeli troops and tanks from the Nativity Church and from all of Bethlehem? How dare Israel deny Christians the right to pray on such Holy day. This is a fundamental abuse of our rights as Christians in the Holy Land to prevent our right to worship in the Church of the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. What would happen if Jews were prevented from celebrating their Holy holidays? Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus Christ, one of the most Holy and revered sites in Christianity yet the world is silent. We are crying out in despair, but no one is listening. Where is your anger? Where is your belief?
The joy our children used to have on such days is lost, and they wake up every day asking the same question, “is curfew lifted today?” The worst about the current situation is we are forced to accept a curfew imposed by the Israeli military and are imprisoned in our homes. This has became a part of our daily routine.
I would like to ask you all some questions. Is going to church such a threat to the security of Israel? Is exercising our right to worship a threat to Israel? Is the prevention our children from going to school a threat to Israeli security? Where are all the internationals who prayed in the Nativity Church last year? Where are the voices of condemnation from clergical leaders and all Christians around the world?
Life on the streets of Bethlehem, Beit Sahour and Beit Jala is silent. The citizens of Bethlehem are pleading for help, demanding to be let out from their prisons and to go to pray either in Beit Jala or in Beit Sahour like some have done for the last two days of our Holy festival.
Where are the scouts who march through the streets of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, playing music to greet the ‘coming of the light’? Where are the Christians of the world who usually fill the streets of Bethlehem? I repeat again, the joy in our hearts on such precious day has been cruelly denied us and God only knows if they will let us go to our churches tomorrow to celebrate the resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ or not. You see no children with candles waiting to light them from the Holy light to take back to their homes. Our homes have become our prisons. Are our lives so worthless to the world? Does being ‘Christian’ have no meaning anymore?
Suzan Sahori
Beit Sahour Municipality
Occupied Beit Sahour
Palestine
