UN MISSES MARK ON BETHLEHEM

Boarded-Up Bethlehem Israel's Fault?
The UN released a typically biased report about the critical economic condition in the town of Bethlehem, whence our Christmas celebration springs. It notes the rapid decline in tourism and blames Israeli defensive actions:

Urban Bethlehem, with a population of about 61,000, is now surrounded by nine Israeli settlements, roads restricted to Israelis, a multitude of checkpoints, 78 physical obstacles, and an Israeli barrier nearing completion on two sides of the town to protect against suicide attacks and other violence, the report said.

As a result, Bethlehem has become isolated from the rest of the West Bank and most importantly from Jerusalem which is only a few miles away, it said.

Tourism has plummeted from a monthly average of 91,726 visitors in 2000 to 7,249 in the first 10 months of 2004, a slight increase over 2003, it said. Since Bethlehem's residents rely overwhelmingly on the tourism sector, the economy has suffered badly.

At least in the AP report from Edith Lederer, there isn't a single mention of the triggering event in 2000 that created the need for all of this defensive action. Recall that in 2000, the Palestinians started a new phase in the ongoing intifada, unleashing suicide bombers by the score and killing Israeli women and children wherever they could be found. This Saddam-funded wave of terror against civilians in Israel required the Israelis to take steps to defend itself -- putting up the roadblocks, the wall, and the restricted roadways to Israeli settlements to protect against the suicide bombers.

As usual, the UN gives a complete pass to the murderous Palestinians and blames the violence on the victim. I suppose we can look forward to a report on Congolese refugees and the UN's mistreatment of them that blames the systematic rape and sexual slavery on the victims there, too; the 11-year-old temptresses corrupted the blue helmets into raping them. Once again, the UN demonstrates its unfitness to conduct international relations during the era of Islamofascist terror and reveals its utter lack of moral vision.

OF COURSE, SOME SEE REASON FOR OPTIMISM IN BETHLEHEM:

Back to Business in Post-Arafat Ramallah - Amos Harel
On Sunday it seemed as though the war in Ramallah had ended. When IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon's convoy traveled through the city, it elicited nothing but a big yawn. Not a single stone was thrown. Ya'alon could not conceal his amazement - at the relative order, at the cleanliness of the streets, at the spate of construction. It seems that Arafat's death absolved the city of its sense of obligation to the war effort. Tanzim militants, who used to periodically force the stores in Manara Square to shut down, have been forcibly expelled by the merchants. Similar scenes can be seen in the West Bank cities of Jericho, Kalkilya, and Bethlehem, where the volume of terrorist activity has dropped significantly. There has also been a change for the better in Hebron. However, Gaza continues to take a deadly toll on Israelis and Palestinians alike, and terrorists in Nablus continue to try to send suicide bombers into Israel. (Ha'aretz)

See also Bethlehem Heartened as Christian Tours Return - Matthew Kalman (New York Daily News)
See also Bethlehem's Paradise Hotel Reopens (AP/Telus-Canada)