December 03 , 2001

Mosque Attack in Bethlehem

8:00pm
I'm home early tonight. Today has been a very sensitive day in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority has been arresting individuals associated with Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Tanzeem, and FLB. This Palestinian arresting Palestinian activity has put the community on edge.

Unfortunately, one of my best students was detained and accused of being Hamas. (He is not, of course! In addition to being a "Internet for Activist" student, Elias is an accomplished and fearless photographer. Some of his intifada photos have graced the pages of international publications. You may remember that Elias was one of the student volunteers to break up the fight outside the PCR center a few weeks ago. He can always be counted on to lighten the mood and add a little energy to any project.)

I had hoped that these actions would have been sufficient to appease the Israelis, but they were not. Wouldn't it have been a wonderful act of peace if the Israelis had not retaliated against the Hamas bombings over the weekend? But the severity of the bombings prevented that, I suppose. They were indeed horrible acts of violence against civilians.

Reports filtered to me working in Beit Sahour that Yassar Arafat's compound in Gaza was being bombed. We went downstairs to see the TV coverage in the grocery shop. Smoke was billowing from helicopter gunship missile attacks. Things like that do not bode well for the West Bank.

I debated canceling my evening "Internet for Activists" class, but PCR workers told me to hold it, since nothing had happened in Beit Sahour. I also called some area missionaries to see what plan was in effect. Several of the more experienced missionaries are out of the country right now.

Class began at 6:30 and I passed some handouts. We were about 30 minutes into the material when I heard an explosion. Shortly after that, my landlord called to say that there had been some sort of bombing in my neighborhood in Bethlehem. A friend came into our classroom to say that there was chaos in Beit Sahour and soldiers all over the streets. He suggested we cancel class. I didn't hesitate to cancel and no one in the class objected. Everyone packed up their items and we rushed out.

Outside people were saying that a mosque on my street had been bombed. The sound of multiple ambulances could be clearly heard. We decided to go to a friend's house until we heard the news. Five of us piled into a car and we headed down the road. A soldier stopped us at the first intersection. He told us that it was probably OK to take me home to Bethlehem. The guys drove me home (thank you). Once I arrived my landlord said that a nearby mosque had been targeted, but by what no one was quite sure. Helicopter gunship maybe, but no one heard a helicopter in the area.

So now I am home. And I am packing, in case I am directed to leave. I was told that the checkpoint is totally closed now. No one is allowed to cross in either direction, so I couldn't leave even if I wanted to. I hope the situation improves, but I'm afraid it's not going to get any better.