End of Occupation » No 1038
A resounding message from Bethlehem: End the occupation
26 December 2020
Palestinians have the right to enjoy a future of peace based upon justice, tolerance and respect
The political developments that have taken place in 2020 should be carefully understood and grasped in order to make 2021 a better year for all.
The Trump administration is leaving behind a legacy of hateful incitement and the use of religion as a weapon against the rights of the Palestinian people.
The Israeli government will soon be disbanded and a fourth election in less than two years will take place in the spring, yet there is no indication that its annexation policies in the occupied territories, its incitement and the institutionalised discrimination against Palestinian citizens of Israel are going to end any time soon.
This is the context in which we should understand this year’s Christmas in the occupied Holy Land: Bethlehem, Jesus’s birthplace, had a “silent night” with very few pilgrims and hardly any tourist activities, due to Covid-19. The city is besieged by thousands of new illegal Israeli settlement units being built on its land. (more…)