No Peace for the Prince of Peace in Bethlehem

After over twenty years of Palestinian Authority (PA) rule in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, the Christian community is under increasing attack and is fading away to near oblivion. The Christian community that just a few decades ago comprised 80% of the population has now dwindled to barely 12% under PA rule. Why has this happened?

Israeli author, political analyst, and terrorism expert David Rubin explains that this problem wasn’t created in a vacuum. Rubin criticizes the persecution that the Christians have suffered under from their Muslim neighbors, including, but not limited to, beatings, denial of employment, kidnappings, sexual harassment, forced marriages, and firebombing of churches. Some Arab Christians claim that Israel is to blame, even though Bethlehem is under Palestinian Authority control.

Others, when allowed to speak anonymously, disagree. As one Christian shopkeeper told World Net Daily, “All this talk about Israel driving Christians out and causing pain is nonsense,” a Bethlehem Christian community leader complained. “You want to know what is at play here, just come throughout the year and see the intimidation from the Muslims. They have burned down our stores, built mosques in front of our churches, stole our real estate and took away our rights. Women have been raped and abducted. So, don’t tell me about Israel. It’s the Muslims.”

Rubin points out, “There is the undeniable influence of Islamic Sharia Law in the Palestinian Authority and Hamas-run territories. The inferior (dhimmi) status officially accorded to Christians under Islam has created an intolerable situation for Christians in Bethlehem. They are continuing to vote with their feet, leaving Bethlehem in droves. Jesus and his family, as persecuted non-Muslims, would have been among them.”

David Rubin, your guest commentator from the front lines in Israel, is the author of the new book, Trump and the Jews. He is the former Mayor of Shiloh, Israel and the Founder and President of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund, established after he and his three-year-old son were wounded in a vicious terrorist attack. As an American-Israeli who has been living in Israel for twenty-seven years, he sees the current events and their ramifications from a unique perspective and explains them clearly to your audience.

The following talking points might be helpful:

1. If Bethlehem is known as the birthplace of Jesus, how did it become a Muslim city?
2. Why is Islamic Sharia Law a problem for the Christians living under the Palestinian Authority?
3. Isn’t there persecution in other parts of the world? Why focus on Bethlehem?
4. Many Palestinians blame Israel’s occupation of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) for the sad plight of the Christians under the Palestinian Authority. How do you respond to that?
5. How do you respond to the statement by the late head of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat, that “Jesus was a Palestinian”?
6. Is there a way to reverse the process so that Christians will once again feel comfortable and secure in Bethlehem?
7. Has President Trump raised the issue of persecuted Christians?
8. Where are the Democrats on this issue?

 

Bio: David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh Israel, is the author of the new book, “Trump and the Jews”. Rubin is the founder and president of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund, established after he and his then three-year-old son were wounded in a terror attack. He can be found at:

www.DavidRubinIsrael.com or at www.ShilohIsraelChildren.org

ABOUT THE BOOK, “TRUMP AND THE JEWS”

The surprise election of President Donald Trump evoked passionate reaction across the American political spectrum. It seemed as if not one American was neutral. His supporters adored him, while the expressions of hatred of many of his opponents defied the norms of civil debate.

Well into the Trump presidency, one community has been on the front lines of the continuing Trump debate that has gripped the nation, and beyond. That is the Jews, on both sides of the ocean. President Trump’s relationship with the Jewish community is unique in its very personal nature.

Some of President Trump’s key policy decisions, such as the Jerusalem recognition, opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, and even economic policy, have been influenced by positive relationships of trust that Trump maintained through the years as a high-profile businessman in New York City, as well as some Jewish family connections. At the same time, most American Jews voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Furthermore, many members of the liberal American Jewish community have been among Trump’s harshest and most vociferous opponents, which raises the obvious question, “How can a president who has been so good for the Jewish people fail to receive its support?”

Trump And The Jews explains the complicated nature of the small, but highly influential American Jewish community, its natural, yet uneasy relationship with the State of Israel, and the role of religious Jews (as well as Christians) in passionate support of Trump, and of Israel. It also explores the sharp American political divide, in which the role of American Jews is clearly evolving in ways that will surprise many objective observers. One thing is for sure – Donald J. Trump will continue to make headlines and the Jews will continue to be involved.