LISTSERV mailing list manager LISTSERV 16.0

Help for ELCANEWS Archives


ELCANEWS Archives

ELCANEWS Archives


ELCANEWS@LISTSERV.ELCA.ORG


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

ELCANEWS Home

ELCANEWS Home

ELCANEWS  March 2002

ELCANEWS March 2002

Subject:

Israeli Troops Reoccupy Bethlehem Lutheran School

From:

News News <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

[log in to unmask]

Date:

Mon, 11 Mar 2002 13:36:22 -0600

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (91 lines)

Title: Israeli Troops Reoccupy Bethlehem Lutheran School
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

March 11, 2002

ISRAELI TROOPS REOCCUPY BETHLEHEM LUTHERAN SCHOOL
02-046-JB/FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The property of a Lutheran grade school in the
West Bank town of Bethlehem was occupied by Israeli military forces
March 9, resulting in damage to some of the school property and
building.  The Israeli troops later withdrew, only to return around noon
on March 11, said the Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine) (ELCJ).
     Dar al-Kalima Model School, located on a hilltop in southern
Bethlehem, is housed in a new building.  The Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) provided a $150,000 gift to meet the costs of building
the new facility.  The Rev. H. George Anderson, former ELCA presiding
bishop, participated in its groundbreaking in 1998.  Currently, the
school has about 240 students.
     "Soldiers were seen entering the school buildings," said the Rev.
Mitri Raheb, pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church, Bethlehem, and founder
of Dar al-Kalima.  "We also have reports that snipers have positioned
themselves on the roofs," he said in a March 11 news release.
     "As no one is allowed to get close to the site, we do not as yet
have a full picture of what is going on in and around our school," Raheb
added.
     Younan said he had permission to visit the school March 10, but
Israeli troops would not allow him to leave his car.  "It was therefore
not possible to enter the school yard or the buildings," he said.
     "As far as we know no one has been injured or killed, due to the
fact that there were no students in the school," said Younan.  "Because
of the ongoing heavy army operations all (three) schools in Bethlehem
have remained closed since Friday (March 8)."
     Younan emphasized that "no shooting has taken place, neither today
nor in the past, from any of our premises in Bethlehem."
     The ELCA Conference of Bishops, meeting in Vancouver, British
Columbia, at the time of the military occupation, is considering a
response to the incident and to the heightened violence in the region.
In recent days, many Israelis and Palestinians have been injured or
killed.
     The Conference of Bishops is an advisory body consisting of the
church's 65 synod bishops, ELCA presiding bishop and ELCA secretary.
     In a March 9 news release, Younan denounced the Israeli military
occupation of the school property.  He repeated a call for the Israeli
military to withdraw from Bethlehem and other Palestinian-controlled
areas.
     "The occupation of our church property seems to be part of a
pattern of military operations where schools, hospitals, ambulances and
medical personnel have been attacked," Younan said.  "These actions are
clearly breaching international law.  Of the more than 50 Palestinians
killed since Thursday (March 8), six deaths were reported from the
Bethlehem area."
     During the period of the Israeli withdrawal, staff members were
forbidden access to the school property, said the Rev. Sandra Olewine, a
pastor of the United Methodist Church.  Roads near the facility were cut
up, she reported.
     Olewine serves at the International Center of Bethlehem, an
outreach ministry of Christmas Lutheran Church.  It is operated by the
ELCJ.
     After worship March 10, where only a few members of Christmas
Lutheran Church were able to gather, members walked to Manger Square in
the city to join a peace procession led by the Rev. H.B. Michel Sabbah,
Roman Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Younan, Olewine reported.
     Sabbah, Younan and several church leaders in the Middle East
issued a statement in which they said they believe the key to peace is
in the hands of both the Israeli government and the Palestinian
Authority.  "We believe that Israeli and Palestinian peoples are called
to be partners in an historic peace," the statement said.
     In August 2001, Israeli Defense Forces entered Beit Jala and
occupied the property of Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation.
Soldiers were said to have been shooting from the church's rooftop at
rock-throwing civilians.  The occupation of the church property by
military forces drew condemnations from Lutherans throughout the world.
Israeli military forces withdrew one day later.
     In fall 2000, Israeli security forces used Augusta Victoria
Hospital in East Jerusalem as a firing post against Palestinian
protesters and then restricted staff and patients from entering the
hospital.  The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has run the hospital
since 1950.  The ELCA is a member of the LWF, which is based in Geneva,
Switzerland, and represents 60.5 million Lutherans in 133 churches
around the world.
-- -- --
     The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine)
maintains information at http://www.holyland-lutherans.org/ on the Web.
The International Center of Bethlehem maintains a site at
http://www.annadwa.org/ on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

Advanced Options


Options

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password


Search Archives

Search Archives


Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe


Archives

October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
November 2018
October 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
December 2002
November 2002
October 2002
September 2002
August 2002
July 2002
June 2002
May 2002
April 2002
March 2002
February 2002
January 2002
December 2001
November 2001
October 2001
September 2001
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001
December 2000
November 2000
October 2000
September 2000
August 2000
July 2000
June 2000
May 2000
April 2000
March 2000
February 2000
January 2000
December 1999
November 1999
October 1999
September 1999
August 1999
July 1999
June 1999
May 1999
April 1999
March 1999
February 1999
January 1999
December 1998
November 1998
October 1998
September 1998
August 1998
July 1998
June 1998
May 1998
April 1998
March 1998
February 1998
January 1998
December 1997
November 1997
October 1997
September 1997
August 1997
July 1997
June 1997
May 1997
April 1997
March 1997
February 1997
January 1997
December 1996
November 1996
October 1996
September 1996
August 1996
July 1996
June 1996
May 1996
April 1996
March 1996
February 1996
January 1996

ATOM RSS1 RSS2



LISTSERV.ELCA.ORG

CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager