Bethlehem U. people attacked.

 
"Dear friends,

This kind of stuff rarely makes the news in the USA.

chm (Father Charles H. Miller) 

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This e   6 September 2011 Bethlehem, Palestine   Dear Alumni and Friends of Bethlehem University,   Generally, I am delighted to write to you with some encouraging news about happenings at Bethlehem University. Today, however, I have some disturbing and unfortunate news to share with you. A Bethlehem University Professor and Student Survive Two Separate Attacks by Israeli Settlers  In the early morning hours of Monday, 5 September 2011, while travelling in the West Bank between the Palestinian villages of Al-Lubban and Turmos Aya and near the Israeli settlements of Ofarim and Bet Ariye along the Nablus-Ramallah, Dr. Adwan Adwan, a faculty member in the Arabic Department at Bethlehem University, was the victim of a violent attack by some 20 Israeli settlers who threw rocks in his face, injuring his head, shoulder, and stomach. His car was blocked by a pile of burning tires when he quickly came under what he said felt like a well-orchestrated ambush. Dr. Adwan eventually was able to speed away from the scene and get himself to a hospital for treatment. "I felt lucky to escape with my life," he says.

On the same day and further along the same road, near the settlement of Shiloh in the Palestinian Territories, Miss Yara Odeh, a Bethlehem University masters degree student, was the victim of a violent attack by some Israeli settlers. Yara found herself stuck in what appeared to be a traffic jam caused by Israeli settlers pelting cars with rocks. With the road blocked, she escaped from her car through the passenger door and ran toward nearby Israeli soldiers, calling for help. She reports being refused help and being told to return to her car. "The settlers seemed not so much interested in damaging the car as they were in harming me," she says of the incident.

The Bethlehem University administration is extremely disturbed by these attacks on members of the academic community. "We value the lives of our faculty and students," says Dr. Michael Sansur, Executive Vice President at Bethlehem University. "Each and every day our faculty engage our students in promoting democracy, peace, and justice. We are fortunate to have a campus atmosphere that is known to be an oasis of peace. These violent and aggressive attacks on our students and faculty from Israeli settlers in the Palestinian territories are horrifying and unjust. We are grateful for the well-being of Dr. Adwan and Yara in surviving these traumatic events and pledge to continue in our efforts to prepare our graduates to take their place as ethical leaders in fostering shared values, moral principles and dedication to serving the common good."

As reported in the media and by the United Nations, there appears to be an increase in the number of Palestinians who are being attacked by groups of Israeli settlers. The United Nations and other international human rights and aid organizations report that more than 500,000 Israeli settlers, many of whom are armed, occupy the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

 

Blessings to you,

Brother Jack Curran, FSC, PhD
Vice President for Development
[email protected]
 
Bethlehem University in the Holy Land
Rue des Freres
Bethlehem - Palestine
Tel: +972-2-274-1241
Fax: +972-2-274-4440
www.bethlehem.edu

Bethlehem University
'Inspiring Innovation and Creating the Future'  "

 

pl

 

 

 

Comments

[markfromireland]

I wish I could say I'm surprised but I'm not. I realise that it's a breach of Godwin's law to say so but that doesn't alter the fact that Israel is well on its way to becoming an openly fascistic society, if it hasn't already got there.

[JohnH]

It should be noted that Bethlehem University is a Catholic Christian institution founded in 1973.

When Christians are attacked in the Arab world, it makes the news, though usually not the front page. Recent examples include stories about the Iraqi Christian and Egyptian Copts.

And what about the hypocrisy of major fundamentalist Christian organizations, who also ignore Israeli abuse of Christians?

[William R. Cumming]

INteresting how often the Jews and Muslims attack other religions and their believers by force. Is this retaliation for acts of those believers against MUSLIMS?

And I now have learned that the almost 10% of Coptic followers in Egypt once led that country in the late 19th and early 20th Century. Interesting if accurate.
I would argue that Israel is now a FACIST country in its leadership's beliefs. Ethnic cleansing seems documented. Perhaps not!

[Roy G.]

'Yisrael Beitenu'

[Will Reks]

Goodness. You can't read this stuff and not help but think there's an element of Israeli society that thinks of Palestinians as subhuman. Truly astounding considering the history of the Jewish people.

[Eric Dönges]

JohnH,

as far as I'm aware most of the Arab/Mideastern Christian denominations are associated with the Roman Catholic church, and according to fundamentalist Christians, Catholics are not Christians, Rome is the whore of Babylon, the Pope is a servant of Satan, etc. (unfortunately, I'm not making this up), so there is no hypocrisy in their eyes.

[Medicine Man]

I don't think the Israeli government is fascist. But there is clearly a constituency in favor of it; one that is well represented in the Knesset.

[Jose]

Shouldn't those settlers be charged, under Israeli law, with terrorism?

[confusedponderer]

JohnH,
don't you know, Catholics are unsaved, because 'they haven't embraced Jesus Christ as their personal saviour'. They're just not Christian enough. The same goes for Palestinian Christians.

Being spared the messiness of death through timely rapture is more important than compassion for fellow Christians, of strike that, they're unsaved after all.

They're an exclusive bunch, these Rapturists.

[Matthew]

Unfortunately, it seems, we no longer hang spies. See http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/us-scientist-guilty-of-spying-for-israel/story-e6frf7jx-1226131831486