On 6 December, Donald Trump officially recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. “It has been the capital of the Israeli people since ancient times,” said the President. “It’s undeniable, it’s just a fact.” Christians in Bethlehem responded to the news by burning photos of the American president. They held signs saying: “Jerusalem, Palestine's heart, is not up to negotiations.” This may come as a surprise to many in the West. We probably assume that Palestine’s Christians prefer the democratic Israelis to their Islamist-heavy countrymen. Sadly, that’s not the case. In 2003, Israel began enclosing Bethlehem behind a 23-foot concrete wall. Its purpose was to keep suicide bombers from crossing out of the West Bank and into Israel during the Intifada. But even after the worst unrest settled, the wall kept growing. And Christians living in the town, who have never taken up arms against Israel, are suffering for it.
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We must not forget the plight of the Palestinian Christians
Israel's friends need to call out its unjustified treatment of Palestine's Christian community
Michael Warren Davis

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