April 6, 2002

Quieter in Bethlehem

[East Jerusalem, Palestine] Last night was a bit better for the residents of Bethlehem. There was some shooting, but it was not as heavy as it has been. Occasionally, tanks were moving through the area around Manger Square. Curfew was lifted for a couple of hours yesterday, so people could go to shops to buy food. Much of the town does not have electricity. Much of the town does not have water. Soldiers occupy some homes. In some places, soldiers are still going door-to-door. Some residents have been locked in their homes.

As a reminder, the International Center of Bethlehem, the Lutheran Church, and Dr. Mitri Raheb's home were all damaged. You can visit his website showing some of the damage:

http://www.annadwa.org

Mitri was held by the soldiers for several hours. I have his press releases on my eGroup list if you are interested in reading them. You can sign up on my mailing list and then go to

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bobsmgroup

to read them. (They are in the April messages section.)

Two excellent sites with great photos for keeping yourself updated on the Palestinian situation here is:

http://www.palestinechronicle.com

http://jerusalem.indymedia.org