The story of Beit Sahour, broken bones, and Christian resistance
It was 1989 in Palestine, and the First Intifada was going strong. For a couple years, mass mobilization, both nonviolent and violent, had caused unrest in Israel and Palestine. Tens of thousands of Israeli troops were deployed to the West Bank, and the official policy of Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin was to "break Palestinian bones." 7% of all Palestinian minors suffered shootings, beatings, and chemical injuries. Mass curfews and house arrests were enforced, leaving food to rot in the fields at harvest. The Israeli Defense Force also demanded various taxes to force the Palestinians to submit. Some "stone taxes" or "glass taxes" were collective punishment, meaning that peaceful Palestinians were forced to pay for the very Israeli military presence that oppressed them or suffer the consequences.
Before this chaos, Beit Sahour was a quiet, unassuming sort of town. Around 8,000 Christian and 2,000 Muslim Palestinians lived together, and its economy was largely built on beautiful olive wood carvings, especially around Advent and Christmas. It was also the place where Catholics, Orthodox, and Lutherans alike believed the angels revealed Christ's birth to the shepherds.
But that peace was to be broken. The Intifada arrived on Beit Sahour's doorstep, and the townspeople made a decision. They would choose to reject the Israeli demand for unfair taxes, and they would push back with nonviolent resistance. They said "the military authorities do not represent us, and we did not invite them to come to our land. Must we pay for the bullets that kill our children or for the expenses of the occupying army?" Defense Minister Yitzak responded by cutting off food, communication, water, medicine, electricity, and other supplies to the town until they relented. Reporters were not allowed near the town. He said "we will teach them there is a price for refusing the laws of Israel." In response, Beit Sahour planted gardens, shared resources, and created a new motto for their town: "Break bread, not bones."
In the end, Beit Sahour suffered terrible consequences. Yitzak responded brutally, commanding house to house raids which stole everything which was inside, from family heirlooms to that year's Advent decorations ready for the market. Residents were beaten. These thefts were worth millions of dollars, and when the UN proposed a resolution requiring Israel to return this property, it was voted down by the United States.
Beit Sahour exemplified unified, nonviolent resistance to oppression, but unfortunately, that oppression has only continued. Since 1991, large sections of Beit Sahour were stolen and separated by the West Bank border wall for an illegal Israeli settlement, Har Homa. Christian and Muslim families lost their homes, their businesses, and their livelihoods again. Twice, the UN tried to stop this, and twice, the United States voted down the resolutions. In 1997, the Greek Orthodox Church was coerced and threatened by the Israeli government to sell holy hills which became Israeli housing developments. Their church government was reportedly frozen by the Israeli government until they agreed.
Today, Beit Sahour continues to face apartheid and oppression. Their water resources are controlled by Israel, many of their ancient olive groves have been razed for development, and Israel claims 47.2% of the land as Zone C, for Israel's own settlement development.
Beit Sahour continues to be a place for interfaith solidarity, sharing of resources, and nonviolent resistance to this day. The town also continues its major industries, harvesting olives and carving symbols of the Christian faith into the beautiful wood of their ancient groves. They continue to worship and rest on the very hills where shepherds watched their flocks by night. And they continue to be occupied by a military force that wants them annihilated. Christians in America should remember this story as they hear Luke 2 preached this week. Their brothers and sisters continue to suffer violence on the same land where peace on earth was proclaimed, and they continue nonetheless to work for goodwill for all.
Sources: Wendy Pearlman, Violence, Nonviolence, and the Palestinian National Movement (Cambridge University Press, 2011), p. 114-116.
Marshall J. Breger et al., "Sacred Space in Israel and Palestine: Sacred Space in Religion and Politics (Routledge Press, 2013), p. 284-294.
Anne Grace, “The Tax Resistance of Bayt Sahur,” Journal of Palestinian Studies, Vol. 19 No. 2 (1990): p. 99-107.
"Beit Sahour City Profile," (The Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem, 2010)
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