Bethlehem Besieged: Stories of Hope in Times of Trouble
By Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb

Book Review

Bethlehem Besieged: Stories of Hope in Times of Trouble

 Mitri Raheb, 2004, 158 pages. Soft cover, $13. Fortress Press, 1-800-328-4648, www.augsburgfortress.org.

        "Is there any hope for a just peace between Palestinians and Israelis?"
That question gets many answers in this remarkable book by Mitri Raheb, the prophetic pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. And his basic answer is "Yes, if...." Raheb writes that, surely for Christians, it's never too late for hope. 

        The book offers 18 stories about hope amid suffering and oppression, taking readers directly into the violent conflict's everyday life. All are Raheb's up-close-and-personal stories--from the cover photo (Raheb peers from a church window shattered by Israeli bullets in the April 2002 invasion of Bethlehem) to the story of Raheb's father-in-law dying earlier than he should have because, post-heart attack, Israeli checkpoints kept his ambulance from getting to a Jerusalem hospital.

        Raheb believes that both Palestinians and Israelis are victimized by the conflict, and by poor political leadership from both sides and the international community. He also believes the mission of the Palestinian church is helping people get beyond fears and tears, to their hopes and dreams. "We aren't just helpless people, nor are we a hopeless case. We can make a difference in our lives and in the lives of those around us."

        The creative ministries of his congregation in Bethlehem's little town are striking  illustrations of hope-building amid hopelessness. He credits the many international people and resources that have come to help build hope. Among these:  the volunteers from abroad who invest themselves for months and years in ministries with Holy Land people; funding of a wellness center in Bethlehem by U.S.-Lutheran-related Wheat Ridge Ministries; rebuilding of Christmas Lutheran's 19th-century pipe organ by a Minneapolis Lutheran congregation, Christ the Redeemer.

        He also notes that central to the hope for Holy Land peace is a vision of Israel and Palestine living together. "What is the benefit if Israel wins the moral and financial support of the American Jewish community and the Christian right, yet loses its Palestinian neighbors? What is the benefit if the Palestinians win the sympathy and support of most of the Arab and Islamic countries and lose their Israeli neighbors?"
    Hope, Raheb says, is not something seen, "but something we practice, something we live, something we advocate, something we plant....Our hopeful vision is to go out today into our garden, into our society, and plant olive trees."

        For those who today are tree-planters, Raheb sees tomorrow bringing "shade for children to play in, oil to heal wounds, and olive branches to wave when peace arrives."

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