Like Pope Francis, I too, “continue to receive very grave and painful news from Gaza”. I also agree with his words that “we have gone beyond wars. This is not war. This is terrorism.” Just a little over 43 miles away from Bethlehem, the Gaza strip remains besieged, and the Palestinians trapped there face apocalyptic conditions. Only 6 miles away from Bethlehem, Christians in East Jerusalem have had to camp in the quarter belonging to their church to try and stop Israeli settlers and developers from seizing more of their land. Israel’s reign of terror falls on Palestinian Muslims and Christians alike - this is what ethnic cleansing looks like.
In the birthplace of Christ, Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac shares the terrible truth, “If Jesus was born today, he’d be born under the rubble of Gaza.” From his pulpit in Bethlehem the reverend asks for those of us celebrating Christmas to “lift a prayer for us, for justice. And I hope they work and act to end the system of occupation and apartheid."
Like Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, I too “see the image of Jesus in every child that is killed in Gaza.” From Father Rami Askarieh, also in Bethlehem, I too, mourn that “the international community hasn’t taken serious action to end the massacre”. Approximately 20,000 - 28,000 Palestinians have been murdered in Gaza since 10/7. Today, on Christmas Eve, I can’t help but wonder how many more will die over the next 48 hours.
The U.N. Security Council resolution that our country abstained from votin on, but still took the time to gut, is essentially meaningless. Per Doctors Without Borders, “the measure fell “painfully short” of what is needed”. I wish I had the optimism of the UAE ambassador to call the resolution passing a “Christmas miracle”. Our country has undermined the entire world by continuing to abuse our veto vote. We’ve made the U.N. effectively useless.
I can’t help but feel a deep shame knowing that this Christmas my tax dollars are paying for bombs to rain down on Gaza, tank artillery to terrorize starving people, and your salary as you do nothing to stop the genocide of Palestinians. I find myself preoccupied with questions instead of the holiday spirit. I’ve been asking myself:
- How many people have my tax dollars murdered?
- How can I quantify the level of human suffering my 2020 vote has led to?
- How can I ever be proud to be American ever again?
We need an immediate, permanent ceasefire. There must be unrestricted humanitarian aid into Gaza. This Christmas Eve, I ask you to reflect on Father Rami Askarieh’s words, “Israelis, Palestinians; we are all human, we are all the children of God.”
