Just as the peace talks between
Israel and Palestine seem to be sputtering, Israel has thrown still
another obstacle in the road: their attempt to extend the separation
wall through the Cremisan Valley. In the West Bank, just south of
Jerusalem and next to Bethlehem, the valley is a beloved oasis, if not
stronghold, of Christianity. If the wall is built, a convent of Salesian
sisters who run a school with 400 students, a monastery of brothers and
58 Christian farmers would be cut off from their work, recreational
lands and water sources. It is far from the international border drawn
after the Six Day War in 1967.
Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines,
Iowa, along with bishops from Europe, Canada and South Africa, visited
the agricultural valley in January. The bishops have acknowledged
Israel’s need for security, but strongly condemned the seizure of land.
On Jan. 28, Bishop Pates asked Secretary of State John Kerry to press
Israel to “cease and desist in its efforts to unnecessarily confiscate
Palestinian lands in the Occupied West Bank.” He wrote about his visit
to the valley: “I was simply astounded by the injustice of it all.”
The community in the Cremisan Valley
received some temporary relief on Feb. 3. In response to a citizens’
appeal, the Israeli Supreme Court issued a preliminary order to stop
construction of the wall in that area. Israel has until April 10 to
explain why there are no alternative routes. In October 2012, the
Catholic ordinaries of the Holy Land said the planned construction of
the wall “will put more pressure” on the Christians living in Bethlehem,
and “more people will make the decision to leave.” It is hard to escape
the conclusion that this is what the government of Israel intends.
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