Word: bethlehem
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...Maximum-Security Manger Like Jamil Hamad, I too bemoan the changes that have transformed Bethlehem [Dec. 31, 2007-Jan. 7, 2008]. I do so as a former Israeli soldier who had the honor of guarding the Church of the Nativity in the mid-1980s. But I take issue with a number of Hamad's insinuations. He was critical of the security checkpoints, but since the city is no longer under Israeli control, why should the crossing into Israel be different from that between the U.S. and Canada, for instance? Hamad also took issue with the Israeli security wall but failed...
...What an odd article. It left the impression that the Israeli security fence is somehow responsible for the tensions between Bethlehem's Christians and Muslims and the emigration of Hamad's Christian friends. Unmentioned was the pressure from Islamic extremists to purge the city of its Christian residents. Christians have been murdered in Bethlehem, families driven into exile and the Church of the Nativity used as a fortress by Islamic gangs. And all Hamad could bring himself to mention are the wall and checkpoints. Daniel Polish, Poughkeepsie, New York...
...appalling that TIME joined the chorus of Israel bashers with Hamad's "Postcard: Bethlehem." Christians, Palestinians and Israelis worked hard to make this the best Christmas for Bethlehem in many years. Security precautions were relaxed. Shops and hotels were full of joyous pilgrims. But unscrupulous partisan journalists buried this good news. Waiting for an hour at a Bethlehem security checkpoint is preferable to being blown to bits by bombers. The situation is not the fault of Israel. Ami Isseroff, Rehovot, Israel...
Like Jamil Hamad, I too bemoan the changes that have transformed Bethlehem [Dec. 31, 2007-Jan. 7, 2008]. I do so as a former Israeli soldier who had the honor of guarding the Church of the Nativity when the city was still under Israeli control. But I take issue with a number of subtle insinuations in Hamad's article. He was critical of the security checkpoints, but since the city is no longer under Israeli control, why should the crossing into Israel be different from those between the U.S. and Canada or Mexico, for instance? Hamad also...
...BETHLEHEM...