CPT Palestine announces Nativity campaign

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HEBRON, West Bank—If the Christmas story were to happen today, Mary and Joseph would have a hard time getting to Bethlehem, says Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) Palestine.

Since 2002, Israeli authorities have been building a separation barrier that snakes through the occupied Palestinian territories, in effect annexing valuable Palestinian land and water resources. To clear the way, Palestinians living near the security barrier often face the threat of home demolitions. According to Israeli human rights monitoring organization B’tselem, the separation barrier affects nearly half a million Palestinian residents, and the barrier separates almost 12 percent of the land on the Palestinian side of the 1967 Green Line from the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories. When completed, the barrier will be 780 kilometers long.
The separation barrier surrounds Bethlehem, located in Palestine, on three sides and cuts off the city from Jerusalem only six miles away.

CPT Palestine is calling on Christians during the seasons of Advent and Christmas to erect a wall around Nativity sets in homes and churches to raise awareness of the separation barrier. They ask people to inform local media and use this action as an opportunity to spread the word about the separation barrier. CPT encourages participants to take pictures of the Nativity after erecting the wall around it and send them as attachments to guest.49296@MennoLink.org. The team will compile the pictures for broader distribution. —CPT

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