In Israel, this is yearned for perhaps more than in any other land, as we continue to witness the wholesale slaughter of Jewish people, and Jewish identity, within the Jewish homeland itself. It seems that the Palestinians provide the exception to the above rule, one that sticks out like a sore thumb among the brotherhood of man that is celebrated in this season.
The biggest controversy in Israel this week is the attempt by Yasser Arafat to be present at the Christmas Mass celebration in Bethlehem – birthplace of Jesus. For the first time since Bethlehem came under his control, Arafat was not present.
He has been grounded in Ramallah, pinned to his own office, since Israel destroyed his helicopters in response to a series of suicide bombings that claimed the lives of 27 people and injured 250 others. After all, if Jews can’t live, why should their murderer be allowed to travel?
He needed to ask Israel’s permission to travel to Bethlehem, and that permission was flatly denied. Arafat’s response was that he would attend nonetheless, and that he would walk if he had to (a distance of some 22km). Israel sent military reinforcements, including senior officers, to the checkpoints near Ramallah, to ensure that any confrontation would be handled properly. But it seems that Arafat’s vow to attend the Mass was of the same quality as his promise to end terrorism. He never showed.
All week, Arafat’s representatives have been screaming that Israel is preventing freedom of worship and access to Christian and Muslim holy places in honor of the holiday. Of course, no mention is made of the Jewish holy places, such as Joseph’s Tomb, which was destroyed by a Palestinian mob last October, the Temple Mount, which is being systematically destroyed by official Muslim activities, Rachel’s Tomb, which has come under repeated attacks by Palestinian snipers and bombers, and the Tomb of the Patriarchs, which is under siege at the best of times.
Throughout the day yesterday, international appeals, led by the Vatican, were made to Israel to allow Arafat to attend. Remember that Arafat himself is a Muslim. There could be no religious interest in having him attend a Christian holiday celebration.
But there is plenty of political significance to his attendance. Since September, Arafat has been successively shunned by the international community, including Arab leaders. He has not been given the opportunity to meet President Bush even once, European leaders are increasingly strident in their condemnations of Palestinian terrorism, and when Israel declared him “irrelevant”, barely a ripple was caused in international circles.
It is the official Israeli government policy that Arafat’s is a meaningless presence in the area. They ascribe no importance to his leadership of the Palestinian Authority, since any stated policy of his that terrorism is to be abandoned, as a policy option has not been implemented. Israel does not consider Arafat’s potential presence at the negotiating table in any way meaningful since no faction under his authority is prepared to end the violence against Israel and allow peace to take hold.
And if Arafat is irrelevant, so is his presence in Bethlehem for Christmas Mass.
Yet, throughout the day yesterday, international appeals, led by the Vatican, were made to Israel to allow Arafat to attend. The emphasis placed by the Vatican on his attendance leads one to the suspicion that religious significance is attached to his presence. But Arafat is a Muslim, so it is difficult to see what religious interest there is in having him attend a Christian holiday celebration.
Unless the Christian world, led by the Vatican, has simply forgotten what Christmas is all about. “Peace on Earth, Goodwill To All Men” is the standard wish of the season, incorporated in holiday hymns and plastered all across the Christian world. It is a nice wish, and one that should not be restricted just to this season.
Alas, Yasser Arafat is responsible for its not being a factor in this part of the world. Peace is certainly not at hand and goodwill is the farthest thing from the minds of Arafat and his thugs as they continue to maim and murder innocent Jews.
It seems that the Vatican has forgotten all this. So to make the point clear, yet another Jew was shot and critically wounded as he drove home last night. Just to make the point. The terrorists involved were members of Arafat’s own Fatah faction, and were among those he supposedly arrested in the past few weeks.
Merry Christmas.
Copyright 2001. Yehuda Poch is a writer living in Israel. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission only.
