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Bethlehem
prepares for the millenium
By TERRY HOUSHOLDER
 New construction is everywhere
in Bethlehem - the town of Jesus' birth. Pilgrims today climb
over broken sidewalks and hear the constant noise of jackhammers
and bulldozers.
The clock is ticking toward the year 2000, which has special
meaning for this Christian Arab community. And work crews are
trying to give the holy city a facelift.
More than 5 million tourists and pilgrims are expected to visit
Bethlehem on what's being celebrated as the 2000th anniversary
of the birth of Jesus and Christianity.
The community of 24,000 has laid out the welcome mat to high-ranking
religious and political figures from around the world - including
Pope John Paul II - to join in the festivities.
Nearly 30 years of neglect during the occupation of Bethlehem
by the Israelis is obvious. Much of the work being done to renovate
the West Bank community is being funded by sister cities around
the world.
New street facades and squares of the old city are being built.
The marketplace is being rehabilitated, and Nativity Square is
being redesigned and reconstructed.
Political control of Bethlehem has changed five times in the
20th century and it has suffered from the instability.
At the turn of the century the City of David was still part of
the collapsing Ottoman Empire of the Turks. After they were defeated
in World War I, Bethlehem came under the colonial control of
the British.
In 1948, Bethlehem, along with the rest of the West Bank, came
under Jordanian rule. Israel captured the entire West Bank in
the 1967 war and kept its hold on Bethlehem until 1995.
Four years ago this month, Bethlehem moved from Israeli hands
to Palestinian self-rule authority under Yasser Arafat.
Bethlehem's residents - 40 percent of whom are Christian - welcome
the liberation from the occupying Israeli army. But little has
changed because of high unemployment, and the limitations of
self-rule.
Large-scale economic development is hindered by the complex political
situation and uncertainty. So, tourism remains for many, the
only way to eke out a living.
The Lutheran-led tour group we were a part of was the exception
in the fact that we spent two nights in Bethlehem at a Palestinian
Christian-owned hotel. A vast majority of Christian tourists,
led by Israeli tour guides, stay at Jewish-owned hotels a few
miles away in Jerusalem. So the Palestinians miss out on many
of the tourism dollars.
Residents of Bethlehem are praying for a solution to the political
strife that they've always known.
Daoud Nassar, 28, a Palestinian Christian who addressed our group,
says the solution lies with the people, not politicians.
He said peace can only be created when more understanding between
the people takes place at the grassroots level.
The organization he is associated with, the International Center
of Bethlehem, works to get more Israelis and Palestinians together
in small groups to overcome long-held bitterness and misunderstanding.
''This is the real movement for peace,'' he said.
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