Reuven Koret is publisher of israelinsider and CEO of Koret Communications.
More from Reuven Koret
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	Arafat's Bethlehem visit conditional on arresting Ze'evi assassins

The Israeli Cabinet decision to prevent Arafat from attending Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was, according to the Europeans and Americans, not helpful to the peace process, not in the spirit of the holiday, if not downright un-Christian.

For the past five years, since the Palestinian Authority took over Bethlehem and other cities in the West Bank, Arafat cynically used the Mass as a propaganda platform and an opportunity to attack Israel in a telecast witnessed by millions.

There were two-story high posters of Arafat, priests and "patriarchs" who abused their pulpits to brand Israel as a Herod-like oppressor. Arafat and Ashrawi routinely claim that Jesus was a Palestinian and Israelis are latter-day Christ-killers. They deny -- contrary to history, archaeology, and the Bible -- the deep Jewish connection to the land of Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

This year Arafat -- a practicing Muslim -- is grounded. After the last round of suicide bombings, with scores of dead, Israel destroyed his helicopters and runway. After Arafat failed miserably to make peace or fight terror, the Sharon government decided to declare him "irrelevant."

Arafat maneuvered to re-assert his relevance, appearing on Israeli TV (making, by all accounts, a fool of himself) and then in a televised telecast for international consumption (making fools of those who still believed him) and the following night, in a closed meeting in Ramallah, when he called for 70 Palestinian martyrs for each dead Israeli, and reiterated his demand for a Palestinian "right of return" to Israel.

The name "Bethlehem" is from Hebrew, and means "House of Bread." It was, according to the Bible, the city of the shepherd-king David and, in the Christian scriptures, the home of the Jewish Yosef and Miriam. On the outskirts of town is the tomb of the matriarch Rachel, a holy site to Jews.

Bethlehem, for much of the last century, was a mostly Christian town, but the Moslems have since taken over, imposing Islamic customs on the townspeople. Once a moderate place, it is now a hotbed of radicalism and terror. This year, it was a launching pad for shooting and mortar attacks on the nearby Jewish suburb of Gilo. Israelis eventually were forced to respond, briefly entering the city to stop the terrorists.

Once a world-class tourist attraction, a magnet to pilgrims year-round, Bethlehem is now a ghost town. There is plenty of room at the Inn. The 210-room Bethlehem Hotel has 208 free for Christmas Eve. For this they can thank Arafat. He launched the Al-Aqsa Intifada to score political points. He succeeded in driving his economy and society over the brink.

The new Israeli Tourism Minister, Benyamin Elon, points out that "Arafat has destroyed much of the goodwill that has been achieved between Jews and Christians, on purpose and with malice. The millions invested by Christians in Bethlehem and around Israel, have become null and void."

Elon, who replaced his assassinated predecessor, Rechavam Ze'evi, said that "Israel has always refrained from political action with regard to religious rituals, and we respect all religions. Arafat's attempt to enter Bethlehem is political exploitation of a religious issue, and therefore I support the Government's decision to prevent his arrival in Bethlehem."

Israel's condition for allowing Arafat to leave Ramallah is to arrest the assassins, still at large in his own town, and the assassination planner.

But no one expects Arafat to take serious action against them or the other terrorists. He cut a deal with Hamas to ease the pressure. He will continue his "revolving door" policy of taking terrorists into "protective custody" and setting them free when pressure abates. He has ten thousand more "policemen" than permitted, and thousands of illegal weapons.

Contrast Israel's dismissal of Arafat with its treatment of the official Palestinian in Jerusalem, Sari Nusseibeh. Although a Muslim, his Jerusalem family holds the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built where tradition says Jesus was crucified and entombed. Since Christian denominations kept fighting for control of the holy site, they gave it to a trusted Muslim family.

When Nusseibeh tried to hold a reception for foreign diplomats in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israeli police briefly detained him. Foreigners say it was a needless and humiliating slap in the face. Insiders say it was designed to enhance his status as a leader who stands up to the Israelis.

Nusseibeh is virtually alone among leading Palestinians in insisting that Arafat and the Palestinian Authority must surrender their claim to a "right of return" to Israel, which Israelis fear would flood their nation with millions of Palestinians.

Nusseibeh understands that fear. "If we do not do this," he told the New York Times, referring to his position on Jerusalem, borders and refugees, "we will not reach a two-state solution. And if we do not reach a two-state solution now, both of us are headed for something that neither side will find itself happy in having, namely a state of affairs in which Jews and Arabs are intermingled, in which there is no Jewish state really, and there is no Arab state."

He ridicules Palestinian rejection of a Jewish historical connection to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. "Whoever says that is blind to history," Nusseibeh said. "It's totally absurd to deny Jewish history in this land -- the deep connections, emotional, historical, existential."

"Anybody who doesn't see the full richness and variety of the various religions and cultures in the very special geographic region is totally uneducated," he said. "It's a reflection of ignorance, and can only cause provocation and widen the gulf."

Even as they bar Arafat from Jerusalem, Israel let Nusseibeh host a thousand guests at a pre-Christmas event yesterday. It was not an event that would advance Israeli interests, nor support its official position as the sole authority in Jerusalem. But the government didn't stop the festivities, no less than it would dream of preventing mass in Bethlehem.

Prime Minister Sharon, in the same vein, sent the following message this morning to the Christian communities of Israel and the world:

"In the spirit of our Declaration of Independence and as a democratic nation, the State of Israel has always championed religious freedom and guaranteed free access to its holy sites for members of all religions. The State of Israel always has -- and always will -- adhere to these principles."

"The Government of Israel welcomes all those who have come here to celebrate Christmas. As the 4000 year-old People of the Book who have again returned to their homeland, we recognize the sanctity of this land to members of other religions, and will do everything in our power to ensure freedom of worship for all visitors to Israel."

"During this festive season, symbolizing the yearning of the Christian world for peace, we hope that the New Year will bring the victory of light and freedom, over the forces of darkness and terror, which threaten the free world today."

From Jerusalem, the eternal and united capital of the Jewish people, the city of peace, I pray that the coming year will be one of peace, prosperity and security for all nations the world over."

It was the Jewish thing to say.

Grounding Arafat, and patiently preparing the ground for a more pragmatic and peace-oriented Palestinian leadership, is the Jewish thing to do.

By keeping the pressure on the Palestinians in general and their irrelevant leader in particular, terror acts are suppressed and the peace process stands a fighting chance. Sharon's words, and Israeli actions, should be a cause for celebration, not condemnation.

A happy and peaceful holiday to our Christian friends from israelinsider.

Views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.

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