Today we visited Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ. We do not known for certain the exact place of Christ’s birth; the holy family did not stay there long and they were very poor, so no one would note their passing through the city. The site of the nativity was first identified by Emperor Constantine’s Christian mother (Helen); who memorialized the holy site in the 4th century. She built a magnificent basilica over the site, leaving only the cave containing the manger floor and the birth area. We have no way of knowing if she was correct. However, tradition and Scripture tell us that this was the kind of setting, and the general vicinity of the Savior's birthplace .
The likely spot of Jesus’ birth is commemorated with what is called the Star of Bethlehem, a silver star on a marble slab, with a hole in the middle and the points of the star going unto all places on the earth.
Helen built the Church of the Nativity directly above the supposed birth site. It is a magnificent facility with large marble columns and floors, and large mosaics on the floors as well. The altar of the church is directly over the Star of Bethlehem.
Bethlehem is no longer the little town that we often sing of in Christmas carols. It is a busy town, and has been under Palestinian (Moslem) control for most of the last 1,000 years. It is in the West Bank, one of the Israeli occupied territories since the Six-Day War in 1967. In an effort to stop Arab suicide bombers from hitting Israel proper and Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the Israeli government has built a 20-foot concrete wall in various parts of the West Bank, including certain parts of Jerusalem and the city of Bethlehem. The wall around Bethlehem is not designed to keep Muslims out, but to keep them in. Bethlehem is a Muslim city that is surrounded by a 20-foot concrete wall, and it can only be entered or left by going through an Israeli checkpoint. Palestinians going into or out of Bethlehem always have to go through security screening, scanning devices and metal detectors, and they must also have the written permission of the Israeli army. They must keep with them utility bills to prove that they are residents of Bethlehem before they can enter, and they can always be turned away with no explanation. The surrounding hillsides of Bethlehem are the sites of numerous Israeli settlements.
Everyone in the international community, and most Israeli’s, agree that the occupied territories will have to be given back to the Palestinians at some point in time. These settlements, however, are not what I would call settlements; they are fortresses on a hill. They are palaces compared to the surrounding communities. They are modern-constructed houses and buildings that all carry the same design and construction. Such construction is at the behest and control of the government or Israel, and not through private ownership. Our guide told us that 85% of the residents in the settlements are economically motivated, cheap government subsidized housing, much larger water allocations, etc. Again, according to our guide only 15% of the settlers are ideologically motivated, believing that they are possessing the land that God had promised to Moses. These sites are as nice as any residential place I have seen in Israel, and in my opinion—the Israeli’s will never leave these sites. Thus, we may never have peace between the Israeli’s and the Arabs in Palestine.
I noticed that cities in ancient Israel were always protected by an outer stone wall. It is sad that after a 700-year hiatus, walls are now being built in Palestine again
