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October 2000
Dear Family and Friends,
In late January, the Holy Land was blessed with a rare and unusually
heavy snowfall. You may wonder why I say "blessed,"
as snow is generally considered a nuisance back where I come from
in Virginia. However, here in the Middle East, any amount of moisture
received during the year is considered a blessing. The climate
in this region is such that it only rains for four to five months
out of the year, and that is during a good year.
The snow gave me a well-founded excuse to stay at home in Bethlehem,
as travel to Jerusalem was virtually impossible. I bundled up
and made my way up to Manger Square, where I was confronted by
groups of young men wishing to engage in snowball battles! A snowman
had already been built on the plaza in front of the Church of
the Nativity, and I helped to put the finishing touches on it.
The snow eventually melted, but lasted longer than any other snowfall
I had ever seen here in the Middle East. Days later, snow could
still be seen covering the hills of the Judean Desert just east
of Bethlehem.
February 15 witnessed the signing of an historic accord between
the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Vatican. The
signing of this agreement in Vatican City was the most significant
development in the PLO’s relations with the Vatican since
diplomatic ties were established in 1994. The preamble of the
agreement calls for a "just solution" to the question
of Jerusalem, and calls for "international guarantees…to
preserve its special identity and its holy status." The accord
covered such issues as the status of churches and the freedom
of worship in the Palestinian areas of the West Bank and Gaza
Strip.
The Vatican, like most other countries, including the United
States, has never recognized the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem
immediately following the Six Day War in 1967. This annexation,
illegal under international law, included not only Arab East Jerusalem
and the walled Old City, but also 17 Arab villages on the periphery
of what was Jordanian Jerusalem. At that time, Israel annexed
into the Jerusalem municipal boundaries as much Arab land as possible,
with as few Arab residents. This was a calculated and sophisticated
move on the part of Israel. The Israeli government did not want
to tip the balance in favor of a majority Arab population within
the city limits of Jerusalem. Palestinians resident in Jerusalem
after the 1967 war were not granted Israeli citizenship, but rather
were given a "special" status on their identity cards
and called "permanent residents" of Jerusalem. Attempts
currently underway by the Israeli Ministry of the Interior to
strip Palestinian residents in Jerusalem of their identity cards
continues to be a difficult issue confronting many Palestinians
residing in the city today. Unless Palestinians can prove that
their "center of life" is in Jerusalem, they are subjected
to losing all rights and privileges granted under Israeli law,
including the right to live and work in the city where they were
born.
In March, I was privileged to be part of the historic visit of
Pope John Paul II to the Holy Land. The pope’s visit to Bethlehem
and to the region was one of personal, spiritual pilgrimage, and
yet he was not silent in recognizing the need for peace based
on justice for the peoples of the Holy Land. Those of us who were
present for the pope’s Mass in Bethlehem were moved by the
frailty of the aging pontiff, and at the same time we were uplifted
by the courage and assurance conveyed to all in his messages of
hope and peace.
I was personally captivated by the pontiff’s message to
the Palestinian refugees of the Deheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem.
Deheisheh is home to over 9,000 Palestinian refugees who either
fled from or were forced out of their homes and villages in Palestine
by advancing Jewish forces after the declaration of Israeli statehood
in 1948. His gentle words were spoken with such truth, and all
who heard them were stirred. "Dear refugees," he said,
"Do not think that your present condition makes you any less
important in God’s eyes!" "Never forget your dignity
as His children! Here at Bethlehem the Divine Child was laid in
a manger in a stable; shepherds from the nearby fields were the
first to receive the heavenly message of peace and hope for the
world. God’s design was fulfilled in the midst of humility
and poverty." He concluded his remarks with words of encouragement
and inspiration to those working to ease the plight of the refugees,
and a gentle admonition to us all. "Genuine and practical
solidarity with those in need is not a favor conceded; it is a
demand of our shared humanity and a recognition of the dignity
of every human being."
As Palestinians continue to struggle in a world that yet denies
them basic, human rights, robbing them of their dignity, we are
once again called upon as God’s people to acknowledge that
which we already know—all human beings, regardless of race,
nationality, ethnicity or creed, are created in the image and
likeness of God.
Blessings,
Douglas Dicks
The 2000 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 139
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