Christ's birthplace new front

in fight for Palestinian state

Heritage designation seen to imply statehoood

By Steven Edwards

UNITED NATIONS. Palestinians are pushing to get the reputed birthplace of Jesus Christ listed as a World Heritage Site – a move that would see them treated as a de facto state.

The push is among efforts by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who for years has been putting in place the apparatus and institutions of a functioning state – even if it does not yet legally exist.

Under its rules, UNESCO, the UN cultural body, lists World Heritage Sites only based on applications from full UN member states.

The Palestinian Authority has now asked for the Church of the Nativity, said to be the place of Christ's birth, to be listed as a World Heritage Site. If UNESCO agreed to the PA proposal to list the church, it would be tantamount to recognizing Palestine as an independent state, Palestinian officials believe.

"This step is part and parcel of our plan to end the [Israeli] occupation and establish a state," said Palestinian Authority Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Khouloud Daibes, presenting a formal submission to the UNESCO heritage committee.

"This is a message of our determination."

The application comes as Palestinian diplomats around the world have found increasing success in persuading countries to recognize Palestine as an independent state, with more than half of the UN General Assembly's 192 countries now on board following a recent surge of support from Latin American countries.

An estimated two million pilgrims and tourists are expected to visit the Church of the Nativity this year, many of whom will bend low to enter by the Door of Humility to the basilica, whose rafters were donated by the 15th-century English king Edward IV.

"The Church of the Nativity is the oldest church we know," said Louisa Haxthausen, UNESCO's representative in the West Bank. The heritage committee is to weigh the application and "hopefully there will be good news in June 2012," she said.

"Where Jesus Christ was born is one of the most important cultural places in the world. It is from here that the message of peace and light was brought to the world by the Prince of Peace," said Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh.

Mr. Fayyad personally handled the bid during a visit last week to UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

The political overtone of the Palestinian push is made all the more apparent by statistics showing the de-Christianization of Bethlehem -- where Christians made up 70% of the population 50 years ago, but who today account for only 15%.

"Many Christians in Bethlehem and the nearby [Christian] towns of Bet Sahour and Bet Jalla have repeatedly complained that Muslims have been seizing their lands either by force or through forged documents," said a report published by the New York-based think-tank Hudson Institute.

"[And] the number of those moving to the U.S. and Canada has sharply increased ever since the Palestinian Authority took control over Bethlehem and other Palestinian villages and cities."

As for the church, dozens of Palestinian gunmen sought by Israel during an army operation in 2002 barricaded themselves inside for 39 days. The Pope and Orthodox bishops denounced the violent standoff.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said last month his government was not seeking "at this stage" to declare unilateral independence for the Palestinian-populated territories the Israelis overran during the 1967 Six Day War.

But he warned that any lack of significant progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state by September -- a reference to the start of the annual UN summit in New York -- "could lead to an Intifada or a popular Palestinian uprising."

Tue Feb 8 2011

© 2011 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved.

Illustration:
• Color Photo: Radu Sigheti, Reuters Files / The Palestinian Authority has applied to have the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem deemed a World Heritage Site. UNESCO, which oversees the designations, accepts applications only from full member states of the United Nations.
• Black & White Photo: Ammar Awad, Reuters Files / A worshipper lights a candle at the Church of the Nativity.