The Christian holiday of Christmas will start tomorrow night in Bethlehem in the shadow of Israeli tanks. The town of Bethlehem, holy to Christians worldwide, is still under curfew, and only the traditional convoy of the Latin Patriarch will be allowed to reach the Church of the Nativity. Instead of tourists, there will be Israeli soldiers in the city; instead of decorations and holiday cheer, a feeling of siege and war will be in the air. As far as the Israel Defense Forces are concerned, it will be just another busy day that soldiers hope to get through peacefully.
Christians around the world are monitoring Israel's ability to allow free access to the Christian holy sites and freedom of religious worship during a difficult period of terror attacks. Since 1967, the proper conduct of Christmas services in Bethlehem has been proof that Israel jealously protects the rights of religious minorities in the territories. Israeli governors always made certain to attend the Christmas Midnight Mass alongside town dignitaries, and Israel was praised for its ability to make a distinction between the holy places and its security needs. During those years, the ruling concept was that the Christmas holidays were not merely a local event, but a showcase for Israel worldwide.
Apparently, that concept is fading, along with Israel's good name in the world. This most important religious rite now appears to be at the mercy of the Israeli government, which can grant or deny the right to hold the ritual. True, the official formalities of the ceremonies will not be disturbed: The convoy will pass on time and the mass will be held as usual. But the formalistic side is incomplete without allowing believers from the territories, Israel and the world to freely attend the events at the holy site.
As happened last year, the government decided to prevent Yasser Arafat from attending the ceremonies in Bethlehem, fearing that he would exploit the visit to restore some of the authority and leadership of which Israel has deprived him. This is also a blinkered approach, which regards the Christmas holiday as an alien event that can be handled in an uninspired military manner, ignoring the global symbolism of the holiday.
It is impossible to ignore the contribution of Palestinian terrorism to the sad situation in Bethlehem. But even under those circumstances, it seems that the Israeli government is not doing enough to guarantee the rights of Christians to celebrate their holiday as they would like in an area under the IDF's complete control. The IDF should be capable of taking appropriate steps to guarantee the safety of Israeli citizens during the holiday without overbearing displays of force. Lifting the curfew might perhaps enable wanted men to leave the area or find refuge in it, but that is one of the risks the government takes when it controls a town holy to Christians, as it is tested not only on its ability to provide security for Israeli citizens, but also on its facilitation of freedom of worship for other religions.
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