Easter Appeal to Mr. Bill and Sean

Please view the photo attached to first publication of article @:

http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/2007/04/08/good_...

Dear Mr. Bill O'Reilly and Mr. Sean Hannity,

I write to you both on Good Friday to tell you of another tomb and because that during my four trips to Israel Palestine, every Christian told me that the way to help them, was to tell their stories.

Ever since 1967, Roman Catholic Claire, and her family of fourteen have lived next door to Rachel's Tomb.

Now they can no longer see it.

Their three story home and first floor business have been walled in on three sides by The Wall; which consumes 1.5 million USA tax dollars per mile.

Before The Wall entombed them, the family would spend hours in their back yard garden with a view of open green space and watch pilgrims and tourists visit Rachel's Tomb and welcome them into their gift shop.

Claire's home is now walled in on three sides by 25-30 feet high slabs of concrete which have imprisoned them from the rest of the Little Town of Bethlehem, Occupied Territory.

For months the family helplessly observed the preparation work all around them, and then one week before Christmas 2005, the children went to school and came home to discover that every view from every window was of the concrete monster. Palestinians are imprisoned on the Israeli side of the wall and the once economically thriving and vibrant main street in Bethlehem is now a ghost town for stores and restaurants have been abandoned.

Rachel's tomb and Claire's tomb are divided by the concrete barrier which is topped by guard towers and patrolled by soldiers in battle gear. Claire's home is less than 500 yards inside Bethlehem, and it had been the closest shop to Rachel's Tomb. Not long ago, multitudes of pilgrims and tourists would shop there, but today only the curious venture down the concrete walled pathway.

According to the Israeli government The Wall which has been deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in The Hague is for the security of Jewish worshipers at the shrine they revere as the Tomb of Rachel. Rachel was the wife of the biblical patriarch Jacob, who was the first to be named " Israel" for having wrestled and struggled with The Divine being.

On May 14, 1948 The Declaration of the establishment of Israel affirmed:

"One the day of the termination of the British mandate and on the strength of the United Nations General Assembly declare The State of Israel will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel: it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion it will guarantee freedom of religion [and] conscience and will be faithful to the Charter of the United Nations."

On February 21, 2003, Raanan Gissin, Spokesmen for Ariel Sharon was interviewed regarding The Wall which imprisoned Claire and her family, and he claimed, "The main purpose here is not to annex that land, but to provide security [and to ensure] freedom of access and freedom of religion."

http://www.miftah.org/display.cfm?DocId=1795&CategoryId=5

"Peace, Peace, Peace, they say, when there is no peace." Jeremiah 8:11

The Wall does not follow the Green Line but does divide Claire's family from friends and relatives.

It has also eviscerated the economy.

Only Jews have freedom of access to their holy sites. Palestinian Christians and Muslims are denied access to their holy sites.

Dr. Jad Issac, the director general of the Applied Research Institute examined a satellite photograph of the area and stated, "Bethlehem is the Bethlehem ghetto now…rather than seeking to ensure freedom of religion, Israel was pushing Bethlehem's Christian Palestinians to pack up and leave. About 360 Palestinians would be left on the Israeli side and once they get rid of the Christians, then they will label the rest as terrorists."[IBID]

Dr. Shmuel Berkovitz, an expert on Jerusalem and Jewish holy places, said The Wall effectively annexed Rachel's Tomb to Jerusalem from Bethlehem "as a matter of technical separation, without an official declaration. Right now, you can't see any romantic place there; you can see it only as a military position." [IBID]

Rachel's Tomb is a small stone building with a dome, which was built during the Ottoman rule, but is now completely enclosed by the fortifications, built in 1996 and 1997.

Claire told me that, "Six years ago when the Israeli army blocked the main street in Bethlehem we hoped it would be temporary. We could not imagine anyone could block another human being and isolate them like they have done to us. A week before last Christmas my children went to school and when they returned they were faced with the concrete wall in front of them. They cried and cried and wanted to know how could such a thing be done to them? We are living in a tomb, we are buried alive. My children suffer and their mother and father can do nothing.

"In another ten years there will be no more Christians in Bethlehem if things do not change soon. Everyone is leaving, we need work, and we need to feed our children. Jesus was born here but we are dying. My children suffer, they are angry and shout because nobody comes to visit us anymore and the children must stay inside after school.

"We use to enjoy being out in our garden watching the people, the trees, the cars that would pass by, but now we only see concrete walls. Our lives have been stolen! Do Americans understand what happens to children when they are buried alive? We need a solution fast so that our children can live like American children! We want human rights!

"When Hillary Clinton visited Jerusalem and said the wall was not against the Palestinian people, she killed us too! Christians who do not care kill us too!

"My family use to go to Haifa on the weekends, we use to live a peaceful and comfortable life. But now our business is bankrupt and we are in prison for being Palestinians."

Source: http://www.miftah.org/display.cfm?DocId=1795&CategoryId=5

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April 8, 2007 © Copyright Eileen Fleming, Reporter and Editor http://www.wearewideawake.org/

Author Keep Hope Alive and Memoirs of a Nice Irish American Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory Permission is granted for reprint in print, email, blog, or web media if this credit is attached and the title remains unchanged.

In Solidarity "we have it in our power to begin the world again."-Tom Paine, Do Something e.