Anti-colonization of Bethlehem and all Palestinian land

We, the undersigned, protest in the strongest possible terms about the Israeli policies of colonization and ghettoization of Bethlehem, and of all Palestinian land.

The Holy City of Bethlehem is being surrounded by a 9 meter high wall, the building of which is continuing daily. The Israeli Separation Wall is making Bethlehem a de-facto ghetto. To enter or exit the city one must pass an Israeli checkpoint, which causes daily humiliation for the Palestinian people, preventing them from entering or leaving their own city without the permission of the occupier.

Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, surround the city. Article 49 of The Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signatory, states that 'The occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies'.
The settlements of Har Homa, Gilo, Har Gilo and Efrat amongst others are all built on land expropriated illegally from the Palestinian people. These settlements, all built around Bethlehem and its environs, are strangling the City, and preventing its natural expansion. The building of Har Homa resulted in the destruction of many Christian Holy sites, which marked Marys route from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.

Rachels Tomb, a Holy Site for Christians, Muslims and Jews is boxed in by the Separation Wall to enable access only for Jews, despite the fact that Rachels Tomb is situated on Palestinian land.

These policies, combined with closures, curfews, movement restrictions and Israels denial of the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and land, and the root causes of the conflict in the Middle East.

The policies to which Bethlehem is subject affect all Palestinian cities, towns and villages to various extents. The cause of the Palestine-Israel conflict is the Israeli occupation, and we urge that it ends immediately.