Sunday, April 12, 2009

Christian housing faces Israeli encirclement

BEIT SAHOUR, West Bank, April 11 (Reuters) - Residents of a Palestinian Christian housing project in the West Bank village of Beit Sahour say Israel is encircling their community with a security road to separate them from a nearby Jewish settlement.
"With this situation they will put us in a cage, a zoo," said William Sahouri, 42, a resident and member of the project's housing committee. "We will not be able to expand."

The project lies close to Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, where the Greek Orthodox Sahouri family live in a modern three-bedroom home, with two flat-screen televisions and a small bar displaying a collection of whiskies and other liquors.

While their Jewish neighbours celebrate Passover this week, they are fasting for Lent ahead of Orthodox Easter, and their house is overflowing with the delicious aroma of lentil soup....

..."Here you are born in Beit Sahour, live in Beit Sahour, die in Beit Sahour," he said. "We don't have the mentality to sell the house, or sell the land."

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