73. Planting Trees near Bethlehem
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After planting olive trees and almond trees, our work party was given a tour of the Nassar property. Tony Nassar, the youngest of three brothers, is explaining that the depression filled with water (at our feet) was used by his grandfather for tramping on grapes to make wine.
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In Bethlehem, the Israeli government is building a new checkpoint to replace the old one. This new checkpoint will be the only way to enter Bethlehem from the north. The "Separation Barrier," which here is a massive wall, will completely cut Bethlehem off from Jerusalem. This view is from the south, in Bethlehem.
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Israeli settlements (one pictured here) have been built in three stages on the hilltops around the Nassar property. Twice settlers have come onto the Nassar property with bulldozers, but family members and their lawyer managed to stop them from destroying the family house. However, the settlers were able to destroy about 200 olive trees.
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The "Separation Wall" under construction. The height of the Wall is evident in this photo.
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The Israeli Har Homa settlement northeast of Bethlehem, just within the "Separation Wall." Har Homa was built on land confiscated from Palestinians. At the bottom of the photo a Palestinian on a donkey is traveling to Bethlehem.
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The Nassar home on a hilltop southwest of Bethlehem. The Nassar family has owned this property since 1924, and has deeds proving their continuous ownership. Nonetheless, they have been battling for 13 years in court to keep the settlements around them from confiscating their land.
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Tony Nassar and his daughter, Lumla. The Nassar family is Christian, and Tony teaches religious education in the Lutheran school in Bethlehem. With help from Swiss and German organizations, Tony has organized a "Tent of Nations" program that brings young people from different cultural backgrounds to this property to camp and work on the land. This international effort has also helped raise funds to pay the $70,000 in legal fees required by the Israeli lawyer, who is pursuing this case in the courts.
