I am deeply troubled by two letters recently published. Both spoke of the siege at the Church of the Nativity and blamed the Palestinians inside for “desecrating” the church.
Let me remind the authors that the Palestinians taking refuge were there because holy places have traditionally been sanctuaries for the persecuted. They were forced to seek sanctuary because the Israelis were killing Bethlehem residents in the street.
During the siege, Israeli troops set up elaborate vantage points, including mounting a remote-controlled rifle with camera on a crane high above the church. They also shot flares into the compound (starting a fire), assassinated the deaf bell-ringer as he emerged in the courtyard and shot directly into the church as if this was some arcade game.
The mess left behind would occur from anyone kept in a room for more than a month.
The Israelis completely lacked respect for the Church. They even allowed Orthodox Easter to pass during the siege. And just what did the Israelis accomplish? The expulsion of 13 Palestinians to Cyprus.
Instead of blaming the victims who were seeking refuge, the religious right of our country should have been critical of the Israeli government, which doesn’t respect the birthplace of Jesus. But, predictably, the religious right never uttered a word about the Israeli actions.
