The human side of Israeli
occupation of Bethlehem -
through the eyes of a
Palestinian Christian pastor
[6-1-04]
The "Little Town of Bethlehem" was put
under siege by Israeli forces in 2002, and is still under occupation. Mitri
Raheb, a Palestinian Arab and Christian pastor who ministers to his people
in Bethlehem, tells the personal stories of Palestinians and their families
as they struggle to survive the violence and to act with integrity in
extreme circumstances - occupation, the wall, and suicide bombers.
His book, Bethlehem Besieged, has
just been published by Fortress Press.
Here's the publisher's announcement,
and links to place an order.
Bethlehem Besieged
"This is a heartrending account of what has
happened to ordinary people, and how they have lived and survived [in]
Bethlehem, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace. It should shake us out of
complicity with the injustice being visited on ordinary people."
-Desmond Tutu Retired Archbishop of
Cape Town, South Africa
The Stories behind the Story
on the Nightly News
MINNEAPOLIS (May 26, 2004)- Bethlehem
Besieged is a riveting story, beginning with the siege of Bethlehem in 2002
and continuing into today's scene of occupation, the wall, and suicide
bombers. Like The Diary of Anne Frank it also chronicles the
personal struggles of Palestinians and their families to survive the
violence and to act with integrity in extreme circumstances. It gives full
voice to the soundbites of the nightly news.
Mitri Raheb's powerful collection of
compelling personal stories-stories of desperation and hope in the midst of
lethal conflict-brings the Palestinian/Israeli conflict up close and
personal.
Raheb's lifelong commitment to his people
has kept him in the legendary birthplace of Christianity, even as the town
has become a flashpoint in the world's most volatile and hate-filled
conflict. His passionate personal testimony lifts up the stray gesture
toward friendship, the brave attempts to rebuild life and livelihood in a
destroyed land, and the unquenchable desire for justice and peace.
Mitri Raheb is a Palestinian Arab and
Christian Pastor who ministers to his people in Bethlehem, where his family
has lived for hundreds of years. Pastor of the Evangelical Christmas Church
there, he holds a doctorate from Marburg University in Germany.
Internationally honored for his work, Raheb has been interviewed by CNN, the
Washington Post, Fox News, ABC News, and CBS News, sharing his stories of
the Israeli bombing of Bethlehem and the fears and hopes of ordinary people
living there. On June 2 he begins speaking tour in Chicago and Washington DC
which will continue across the U.S. into fall 2004.
Comments:
"Bethlehem Besieged is a wonderful book
by a man of rare insight who fully understands those familiar lines, 'Yet in
thy dark street shineth the everlasting light. . .'"
-George McGovern former U.S. Senator and
President of the Middle East Policy Council
"Once again 'the hopes and fears of all
the years' seem to focus on Bethlehem. Its painful history, stubborn
hopefulness, and indefatigable spirit shine through the pages of this
remarkable but deeply troubling book. It is required reading for anyone who
wants to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its importance for
the whole world."
-Harvey G. Cox Hollis Professor of
Divinity, Harvard Divinity School
"Mitri Raheb's personal account
replaces faceless statistics with traumatic stories of innocent persons
caught in the crossfire of political hatred. With faith and hope, he
challenges us to overcome our sins of indifference and insensitivity to the
plight of the Palestinians and calls us to work for new relationships among
Jews, Muslims, and Christians."
-Donald E. Messer Henry White Warren
Professor of Practical Theology and President Emeritus, Iliff School of
Theology, Denver, Colorado Author of Breaking the Conspiracy of
Silence
"A Palestinian narrative of suffering and sacrifice that is infused with
hope. It is a story that has cried out to be told."
-Dr. James J. Zogby President of the Arab
American Institute
"Mitri Raheb's personal and moving
chronicle of Bethlehem's siege reveals a little-known and rarely
acknowledged human narrative of the Palestinian people's quest for dignity
and freedom, even in the midst of devastation and pain. The struggle to
endure and rebuild despite the Israeli occupation's persistent brutal
assaults is a tribute to the unvanquished spirit of the "ordinary"
Palestinian. It is part of Raheb's passionate message to hold on to the
spirit of resurrection and his insistence on seeing a beacon of hope where
it is easy to see only darkness and despair."
-Hanan Ashrawi Palestinian Rights
Activist Founder, Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizen's Rights
Sydney Peace Prize recipient
"Bethlehem Besieged is first a document
of horror and hope about the plight and possibilities that confront the
Palestinian people. But it is also more. As a Jew I see this story as a
warning to the Jewish people that we are becoming almost everything we
loathed about our oppressors. For me Mitri Raheb's gentle anger is a
prophetic call to Jews in Israel and beyond to stop and reverse course
before it is too late. Yet the pages of this gripping real-life story tell
me that it might already be too late."
-Marc H. Ellis Professor of American and
Jewish Studies, Baylor University
Format: paperback, 160 pp.; $13.00
(($17.55 Canada; L8.99) ISBN: 0-8006-3653-8 Publication Date: June 1, 2004
