Message from
the president

In November 2025 Israel proposed a new Israeli settlement – Shdema, on land taken from Beit Sahour next to Bethlehem in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  While we were singing carols about Bethlehem and the meaning of Christmas - Peace on Earth, etc., Israel was completing its encirclement of Christianity’s birthplace.  The land had been earmarked by the Palestinian authority for a children’s hospital, recreational areas, cultural center, green space and a community hall. 

The nightmare of Israeli occupation is becoming more terrifying for the three million Palestinians  who live in the occupied West Bank of which Bethlehem is part.   As of September 2025, over 146 new iron gates have been installed in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, bringing the total number of barriers and gates to nearly 900.    18  iron gates were installed by the occupation so far just this year (1/23/26).    Israel says it is for the protection of Israeli settlers wh