Christmas: A stark lesson on Bethlehem and beyond
It could affect one’s Christmas spirit if one should pause to consider what is really happening in Bethlehem these days. I know we like to stay both cheery and busy this time of year. However, the evidence is overwhelming that this city of Bethlehem in the West Bank of Palestine experiences strict ‘movement restrictions’ imposed by the Israeli Defence Forces.
There is a surge in violence primarily originating from Israeli military forces and Israeli settlers. Public celebrations having to do with Christmas have been cancelled in both 2023 and 2024 as an expression of solidarity with the people in Gaza. This area, dependent upon tourism, has experienced an economic collapse. And the emotional mood is inescapably one of depression, anger, and grief.
Can we in Canada, in New Brunswick, in Woodstock, get away with avoiding giving some thought to this situation? Many who have worked for the UN in Palestine no longer hesitate to call this situation one of unprecedented and deliberate destruction of a people … namely a genocide.
My attention was first drawn to this situation because of the constant mainstream media reporting of a grossly disproportionate Israeli military response to the violent actions of Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. And there are still serious questions that have yet to be answered by an independent, objective investigation into what actually happened on Oct. 7 and why.
In the meantime, Canada and much of the West are seen to be complicit in what is now recognized by many as a genocide by way of ongoing supplies of weaponry to Israel. There is a motion/bill before the Canadian federal parliament that seeks to stop this continued flow of weapons to Israel.
Many of us consider extra charitable giving at this time of the year. There have even been in the past solicitations for the ‘Holy Land’. Let me suggest that this year, one might want to find out more about this situation in Palestine and Gaza. Such inquiry must go way beyond mainstream media coverage. It will lead to awareness that this situation has far-reaching and deep implications for our entire world. It will take us far beyond charity into an analysis of justice. We will encounter the question and issue of solidarity with indigenous Palestinians now suffering under a genocide, and we very likely will have a new and surprising Christmas light shone upon our relations with indigenous peoples in New Brunswick and Canada.
Wishing you all a ‘good’ and ‘honest’ Christmas, if not always a merry one.
Hugh Williams
Debec, NB
