I had no idea! See how we learn from one another through dialogue?
Every Advent our pastor invites Catholic Palestinians to our parish to sell religious carvings made from the wood of the olive tree. They use only branches and do not cut down trees. For some, this is their only source of income.
catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?id=6498
"* Bethlehem’s plight
“A miserable fate of a different kind is blighting the lives of Christians in Bethlehem, … which is fast disappearing behind an 8-meter-high wall erected by the Israeli authorities,” says ACN. The wall separates the Palestinian territories from Israel.
“For the region’s 60,000 Christian community, the wall looks set to crush the first shoots of re-growth in the business crucial to their livelihood — pilgrimages and tourism,” it explains.
A car journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem used to be no more than five minutes. Now, with checkpoints and security checks it can take up to three hours.
At best, tourists are likely to make short day trips to Bethlehem, a far cry from the days when they spent several nights there, explains the report.
“For Christians in Bethlehem traveling outside their home city has been difficult for many years and the wall is set to make it even more problematic. It effectively sounds the death knell for anyone commuting from Bethlehem and Jerusalem,” the ACN report stresses.
“Nor can Christians in the area speak up for themselves because they are being drowned out by the growth of the number of Muslims,” it adds. “This combined with the emigration of Christians means that within 25 years the proportion of Christians in Bethlehem has hemorrhaged by up to 50% — now Christians represent only one in 10 people.”
A recent survey revealed that 75% of young people said that given the choice they would leave the country within 24 hours.
“The stagnation of businesses is placing a huge burden on Christian families and many feel the wall will effectively imprison them in their own towns and villages,” warns the Catholic charitable organization. "*