The unheard stories. Christian Arabs who, despite economic difficulties, are determined to stay in Bethlehem. How they pray for peace, work for peace & have no hatred in their hearts towards Israel or Jews.

Julia Fisher

Sami is an ordinary bloke with an extraordinary story. He's not famous, yet he, and people like him, are changing the world. Sami is a Palestinian, living in Bethlehem. He's thrown stones at Israeli soldiers and paid a high price. In prison he changed. He emerged a different person - a man of peace. Today he has many Jewish friends. This story is about his transformation and why people like Sami hold the key to peace in the Middle East. His story challenges the church in the west not to take sides in this conflict, but rather understand and support what God is doing through the believers who live there.
I was taken to meet Sami by Paul Calvert, a young man from the north of England who is a youth worker dividing his time between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, supported by the Christian organisation, Focus on Israel (under the direction of Mervyn Tilley who is on the Elim national leadership team.) We took a taxi from the Damascus Gate to the border; it's a short drive, just 5 miles south east of Jerusalem. Once in Israeli territory, today Bethlehem is part of the West Bank run by the Palestinian Authority and is surrounded by the much talked about security wall. If you live there you need a special pass to leave the town, and if you're a visitor you need a passport to enter.

I've been to Bethlehem many times over the years, but nothing could have prepared me for the shock of seeing the height of the wall that has been erected around this town recently. Bethlehem is an ancient town with deep Biblical significance. Rachel's tomb is there. It was Naomi's home town. Boaz lived there. King David was born and grew up there. Bethlehem was the place where grain was grown for making the bread for the Temple offerings. Bethlehem means house of bread. It was the place where sheep were reared for sacrifice in the Temple. The prophets predicted the Messiah would be born there.

But today, you could be forgiven for thinking this is a forgotten place. The economy is flat. The men are mostly unemployed. Shops are closed. Houses in disrepair. It is dusty and unkempt. Around the Church of the Holy Nativity in Manger Square (incidentally, the oldest church in the world), teenage boys try to sell you souvenirs, postcards, necklaces and olive wood carvings.

The millennium held such hope. Hotels were built. Roads and pavements were re-laid. Guides were trained in the anticipation that 3 million tourists would visit their town. But then the intifada broke out and for the past five years Bethlehem has suffered and declined. Today the population is entirely Palestinian; no Jew is even allowed into Bethlehem because their security cannot be guaranteed. The vast majority of the Palestinians who live there are Muslim. The remaining tiny Christian population is fast dwindling as families are driven out in search of a better life in the US or Canada or Australia. And on the face of it, things look gloomy.

This year I've visited Bethlehem a number of times and met some Christian Arabs (that is how they like to be described) who, despite the economic difficulties, are determined to stay in Bethlehem. But I found more than that. I heard how much these people care about Israel and the Jewish people. They pray for peace, work for peace and have no hatred in their hearts towards Israel or Jews. How come?

Let me introduce you to Sami. He was born in Beit Sahour, an area on the outskirts of Bethlehem known as the Shepherd's Fields. Originally his family was entirely Moslem. Over the years some became Catholics. Everybody has a label in that part of the world . If you're not Moslem then you're Christian! So Sami described himself as a Christian! He used to go to church, occasionally. At the same time he also used to throw stones at Israeli soldiers. Sami takes up the story.

"For three years I went to church on Sundays, and I threw stones at Israeli soldiers. On one particular day I was getting ready for church and there was some trouble in Bethlehem. Tensions were running high, there had been an incident and a group of Israeli soldiers came under attack from some local people. As I walked along the street to go to church, some soldiers came and arrested me because they thought I had been involved in the stone throwing. But I hadn't done anything that day! They beat me and I was kept in jail for three months. And it was there the Lord met me.

It happened like this. When I was arrested I was carrying a small Bible in my pocket. I used to read it all the time, not because I enjoyed what it said, but because it was small and easy to carry around and I liked reading! When they took me away for questioning they asked to see my ID. I told them I had two ID's and which one would they like. The Israeli soldier said I was crazy. So I showed him my Bible and told him I was a Christian - that was my first ID. Then I showed him what he was expecting to see, my identity card. He took my Bible away and I was afraid that I would not get it back. But before I was taken away to be locked up I asked him for my book back. He thought about it for ten minutes before handing it back to me.

I'd been severely beaten and for three days I could hardly move. As I started to feel stronger, I started cursing God and getting very angry. But then I started to wonder whether there was a deeper meaning for my being detained in this way. I picked up my Bible and slowly opened it to John's gospel and read these words,

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12)

I said to God, I want to be one of your children, and I started to cry. And that's how I came to know the Lord. During those three months in prison my life changed. There were many other prisoners there, mostly Moslems. They watched me reading my Bible and gradually, one by one, they asked me to read it to them. Two months later, one of them became a Christian, followed by two others. It made me so happy.

It means such a lot to me to live and work in Bethlehem. At the same time I care deeply for Israel and the Jewish people and have many Jewish friends - which some people find surprising because, as I've already mentioned, while I was in prison I was severely beaten by some Israeli soldiers, one in particular.

I was released a few days before Christmas and something amazing happened which proved to me just how much I had changed. I had a chance meeting with one of the soldiers who beat me . I remembered him because he was the one who had beaten me the hardest. It was Christmas Eve and I was walking towards Manger Square with some of my friends; we were planning to hand out Bibles and gospel tracts to the people in the crowd when we saw each other. We both recognized each other so I went up and spoke to him. He wanted to know when I'd been let out from prison and I told him that I'd been released without charge the week before. It was a strange experience. On the one hand it wasn't easy; yet I felt so happy to see him because I wanted to tell him that I'd forgiven him. I knew I had to do this because when I became I Christian, I accepted the teaching of Jesus about the importance of forgiving and showing love to my former enemies.

After we had spoken for a few minutes he seemed genuinely touched by what I'd said and he asked if he could help me in any way. I explained that I was with a group of 20 Christian guys and we wanted to enter Manger Square to give out Bibles and tracts. He opened the way for us and he was the first person to accept one of our gospel leaflets and a Bible that night.

I now believe that Palestinians and Jews are people who both need the Lord. We are all human beings; people of flesh and blood. It is such a shame that ideologies get in the way because we are all suffering a lot. Hatred and revenge can never be the answer. We both need to learn to live together.

As a Palestinian I have many Messianic Jewish friends, who are my brothers and sisters in Christ. Unfortunately because of the closures I cannot see them and I miss them. We telephone each other to keep the relationships strong and from time to time, when I have permission to enter Jerusalem, I go and see them.

Please pray for us. I know many believers who are suffering in the West Bank. It is very difficult and many Arab Christians are leaving. Please also pray for our Jewish brothers who are also suffering and that with God's help we will be able to get permission to meet together so that the world can see we are united and part of the real body of Christ."