Thank you for posting this. There are a couple of compnion stories that I came across along with this particular narrative. One pointed out the fact that there are few visible signs of Christmas in Bethlehem this year. The few remaining Christians in the area are apparently keeping a low profile for fear of retaliation. Also, a generation of both Jewish and Arab children are growing up accepting violence as the norm. Pre-teen Arab boys spoke to a reporter of the honor of dying as a martyr. Children spoke of a desire to be able to walk the streets without fear. Such nurturing as these children have experienced does not bode well for the future. Charles+ --- cranmer@... wrote: > Thought y'all might be interested in this article... > Fr. J.+ > > By Sean Hawkey (Editor of Action and Website > Manager: "Blessed is the fruit > of thy womb. A real-life, modern-day nativity > story") > > (Bethlehem) -- When Nahed Fawaregh became pregnant > earlier this year she > and her husband felt blessed, she was due to give > birth in the first days of > December and would travel to the nearby maternity > hospital in Bethlehem. > > Nahed and her family live in a small village called > Ma'sarah (meaning Olive > Press) where the countryside is spotted with olive > groves and vineyards. > There is no maternity clinic in Ma'sarah so she > would travel to nearby > Bethlehem to give birth. While many of the villagers > drive small herds of > goats and sheep, Nahed's husband drives a taxi, so > getting to the hospital > wouldn't be a problem. > > Nahed, who just turned 20, was the subject of family > affection as her baby > grew, friends gave her small gifts, old ladies > knitted little jumpers and > everyone made sure she ate what she wanted. Nahed > was a radiant picture of > health and happiness. > > At midday on November 27 Nahed went into labour. She > had already prepared a > bag and she set off with her husband in the taxi for > Bethlehem. They went on > the only road that isn't dug-up and blocked-off with > piles of earth and > rubble by Israeli bulldozers. But only certain > people are allowed on this > road: Jewish people who live in the heavily guarded > settlements. The > innocuous term "settlements" doesn't accurately > describe the expanding > colonies: cities and towns built on the highest > land, taken by military force and inhabited by some 400,000 people, many of them east-european > immigrants. The local people are left with the > ever-diminishing gaps between the colonies and the roads that join them up, the > water they need for > irrigation diverted to the Israeli-occupied land. > > The Fawareghs knew they were forbidden to travel on > the Jewish-only road but > it was an emergency. They prayed that they wouldn't > run into an Israeli > patrol, but they did. > __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com