In Manger Square in Bethlehem, there is little peace and less goodwill now, given the occupation forces of Israel are cracking down on the slightest sign of resistance from Palestinians. This Christmas season is like no other, with the occupation administration emboldened by the decision of United States President Donald Trump to recognise occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Israel — a move that has been roundly condemned by both the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly. And on Christmas Day, Guatemala handed Israel another gift, becoming only the second nation to endorse Trump’s mistaken and ill-advised change in diplomatic and political convention.
While Christians around the world marked the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem more than two millennia ago, Trump’s decision should be a reminder to those of that faith that the occupied city of Jerusalem is a cornerstone of their beliefs.
The reality is that the city is the meeting place of three faiths, and its shared heritage and history must be respected and acknowledged by all. By giving the occupation administration acknowledgement that it alone has the right to call the city it occupies as its capital, the Trump administration has flown in the face of Christians and Palestinians alike.
Trump has literally committed a capital offence and the crime is that Palestinians who protest do so knowing that any act of defiance of the occupation forces may very well result in their deaths. So far, since this egregious error was wilfully and purposely committed by Trump, more than a dozen Palestinians have died, killed by emboldened occupation forces who face little judicial oversight for opening fire on protesters.
There is a growing sense of resignation too on the part of Palestinians that they have suffered yet another in a long line of insults at the hands of the Israeli government and its lobbyists in Washington. The lands of the occupied city have been slowly taken over and are now used for colonists’ homes. Those building projects have gone ahead, despite a chorus of international condemnation. There is frustration too that generations of Palestinians have resisted the occupation regime, have been imprisoned, subjected to abuses, held without trial or charge on rolling administration detention orders — and the international community has failed to be effective.
There is an urgent need for a more effective leadership, on the global stage, to undo the damage done by Trump’s unilateral move on occupied Jerusalem.
