wfn.org | Bethlehem Lutheran Addresses Appeal to President Clinton

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Contact: International Christian Center of Bethlehem
Bethlehem, Palestine
Tel: (972-2) 277-0047
Fax: (972-2) 277-0048
Email: annadwa@planet.edu
Website: www.annadwa.org

Mr. Clinton, What would you do if you were in my shoes?

BETHLEHEM, West Bank, January 5, 2001--Following is the text of an op-ed 
piece concerning a Palestinian pastor's experience seeking to use his 
"freedom to travel" to the United States.

By the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb

Mr. President, allow me first to introduce myself to you. I am a
Palestinian Christian, born and raised in Bethlehem, and the pastor of
Christmas Lutheran Church as well as the director of the International
Center of Bethlehem. We met two years ago here in Bethlehem, and you may have 
read my book Bethlehem 2000, presented to you by President Arafaton the 
occasion of your visit. 

Today, I was supposed to arrive to your country together with my wife, who 
happens to hold a US green card. We were invited by friends and fellow 
Christians from Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Missouri, who were anticipating 
our visit as much as we were.

They worked very hard for the past three months to organize for me a
series of lectures, preaching engagements and important meetings.
However, I find myself sitting in my office in Bethlehem today writing
you this letter instead.

I know of your commitment to peace in this region. I read your recent
proposals, as released. At first, I thought that they were interesting. 
Then, a second reading showed me how vague they were.  But after my
experience yesterday, I found that they do not contain the promise of
freedom, peace and dignity that they claim.

Let me start by asking you a simple question.  What would it take for an
average American to travel abroad, besides a valid passport, a visa and
a ticket?  Not much more, I would say. Yet, for a Palestinian, travel is
a totally different story.  A Palestinian cannot leave the country
without a travel permit.  For me, living in Bethlehem, these permits are
issued by the Israeli Military based in the illegally built settlement
bloc by the name of Gush Ezion, located six miles south of Bethlehem.
Yet, how can one reach Gush Ezion if Bethlehem is sealed off and one is
allowed to drive, in a Palestinian green license-plate car, in a one-mile 
radius only? 

First, I had to get a yellow license-plate taxi to travel on one of the so 
called by-pass roads built on Palestinian confiscated land, yet designed 
mainly for the use of Israeli settlers. I met the taxi on December 28th at 
one of the many roadblocks that the Israelis have placed to divide the 
Bethlehem districts into pieces.

Once we reached our destination, my wife and I submitted our
applications and we were told that it is forbidden for Palestinians to
leave the country except if they possess foreign passports.  We were
instructed to come back in three days to see if we can get these permits. 

On December 31st, I called the Israeli military authority to inquire if we 
were granted the permits and was told that my wife did but I was denied.  The 
reason given was that my wife has a green card and I do not. I told them that 
I have, as a clergyman, a Vatican Passport. The soldier said "Then, you 
should fill new forms, attach a copy of your passport and apply again." 

I did as told. I drove again to the roadblock to catch a yellow license-plate 
taxi, but found that there was a small opening in the road that would allow 
my car through.  I decided to take the chance and I drove my own car heading 
to the settlement.  During this 6-mile journey my wife and I were afraid of 
what might happen to us if a settler decides that our presence on the road is 
not to his/her liking. 

Finally, we reached our destination and got our permits.  We returned to the 
roadblock and tried get in the way we went out, but an Israeli Military 
vehicle was standing there.  He pointed the gun at us and told us to go back 
to the place we came from.  I told my wife not to worry and that we should go 
to the other roadblocks to see if there were any openings.

It was then that we started our Via Dolorosa, traveling from one roadblock to 
another.  For more than one hour we kept on doing so and I kept thinking 
about how villagers, commuting to the town every day, suffer as a result of
Bethlehem being sealed off. 

Finally, we found an opening in one of the roadblocks and were able to enter 
our Little Town of Bethlehem before the soldiers saw us and closed it.
Yesterday, on January 4th, we headed at 9:30 in the morning in a yellow
license-plate car to the Ben Gurion airport, which is around 30 miles
north west of Bethlehem, to catch our 16:35 flight. 

The soldiers at the entrance of Bethlehem stopped the car, asked for the 
permits, checked them and allowed us to go through.  We arrived at the 
airport early and were the first in line. We handed our passports, tickets 
and permits to the security official, who looked at the permit and then at us 
and at the permits again.  She told us that our permits are not valid and that
we cannot fly. 

"But, the people who issued them reassured me yesterday on the phone that 
they are," I argued.  She said that she will check with the airport police, 
who told her that the permits are invalid. Being prepared for anything, I had 
the phone number of the military authorities who issued the permits and I 
called them.  I spoke to the captain, who reassured me that the permits are 
valid and gave my cellular phone to the security officer to hear it for 
herself. 

She sent another officer to the airport police, who returned with the answer 
NO PALESTINIAN IS ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY."  Let me talk to the police 
authorities myself," I said. 

"You should look for them yourself, try the information desk," was her 
answer.  In the meantime her boss came and shouted at her for wasting her 
time talking to us.  She left and I started my search for the police, leaving 
my wife at the counte with the luggage.  I was prohibited to get to the 
airport police, which one can only reach if one has the boarding pass. 

Finally, I was told to walk to the police headquarters, which is located 
outside the main building in the airport.  Once I got there, they wouldn't 
let me in.  The woman at the desk dialed a number and handed me the phone. I 
explained to the policewoman on the other end what went on and her answer was 
"NO PALESTINIAN IS ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY.  These are our 
instructions". 

She refused to take the number of the military authorities to talk to them 
and insisted that they should talk to her.  I called the military authorities 
again and asked them to talk to the airport police.  He promised to do so.  
And for the next three hours our Via Dolorosa continued between the Military 
authorities, airport police and airport security.   At 15:35 I called the 
captain at Gush Ezion, who told me that he tried his best, but that there are 
orders, which he cannot overrule and so we cannot travel today, but that I 
should wait until things calm down.

I asked myself, how can things calm down if they continue treating people 
like that.   What would you do, Mr. President, if you were in my shoes?

I am not talking about the financial loss, the taxis and flight tickets.  
Neither am I talking about lost time and stress.  Rather, I am talking about 
basic human rights of free movement and of living in dignity.  What would you 
do if you were in my shoes?

Many Palestinians, especially Christians, choose the option of immigration. 
They leave to live in the Promised Land of the USA, thus emptying the 
Promised Land of Palestine of its resources, potential and promise.  Others 
are radicalized by such treatment.  The constant inhuman treatment eliminates 
their imagination of a better life here and now.  

If you are treated like they are treated, Mr. President, I am sure you will
not act differently.  But you are never treated like that.  In two weeks
you will leave office, with or without an agreement.  But, we as
Palestinians are here to stay.  For better or for worse we have to live
with whichever agreement brokered by your country. 

Here, I ask myself, what would I, Mitri Raheb, do if I were in your shoes?  
If I were in your shoes I would make sure that the Palestinians will have real
sovereignty, and control over their borders, their By-Passless roads,
their airspace, so that tomorrow not one single Palestinian would be
treated the way I was treated yesterday. 

I am not talking about luxury, but rather about living without humiliation. 
If I were in your shoes, I would follow the footprints of Christ and do 
everything possible to bring justice, healing and hope to the land in which 
2000 years ago the Divine gave humanity its new meaning, dignity and promise.

_____
Dr. Raheb is the pastor of Christmas Evangelical Lutheran Church as well as 
the director of the International Center of Bethlehem.

-End-