The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-08-02
MILITARY RULE
IN BETHLEHEM
Peace Has Not Yet Come to
Birthplace of Christ.

LONG DESERTED BY PILGRIMS
Two Big Wartime Projects Have
Opened New Windows and Door
ways Into Palestine and Made the
Little Town of Bethlehem More Ac.
eessible-The Only Jew Resident Of
the Place Is a Doctor-Is a Chris.
tlan Town.
Bethlehem is still occupied enemy
territory. The white, limestone town
In Palestine, which is holy to half a
billion Christians, is passing its fifth
consecutive war year without pill
grims.
Formerly the slopes Of Kharrubeh,
under the fortress wall of the Church
Of the Holy Nativity, glittered nightly
with camp fires of hundreds of Rus
slams. But Turkeys entry into the war
In 1914 put such sudden end to the
pilgrimages of the Russians that few
Of them are still stranded in Bethle-
hem. The Crescent and Star, with
which Selm the Grim hewed his way
into Palestine in 1913, was hauled
down from the Turkish serai in Beth
lehem when the British army occupied
1t in 1918. Pending the dictation of
peace to Turkey, Bethlehem is admin
istered by the British army, and no
civilian is permitted to enter it with
out British military permission Glare
Price writes in Land and Water Uon-
don).
Town More Accessible Now.
Before the war, Palestine was a moi
some, sealed up Turkish place, off the
trade routes, difficult to get at and
more difficult to get about in after one
got there. Two military secrets, how
ever, were revealed when the armis-
tice with Turkey was proclaimed, In
1918. One was the completion by the
British army of the Palestine military
railway. The other was the compile
ton by the enemy Of the stupendous
Taurus tunnels in the Chemin de Fer
Imperial Ottoman de Bagdad. Taken
together, these two projects have
opened new windows and doorways
into Palestine, so that the winds of
the world may blow through and any
body who has the railway fare may
walk in and see for himself.
The first civilians to reach Bethle-
hem after the Turkish peace is signed
will see single line of old Turkish
trench zigzaggng like a white hair
across the far side Of the Rahib val
ley to the south. They will see plenty
of British soldiers, whose prospect of
rehabilitation is remote, and little
groups of British officers on leave,
guided by the same dragomans who
three years ago were guiding German
officers on leave at Bethlehem. And
If they have not visited Bethlehem
before, 1t may not occur to them how
miraculously the place has been
scrubbed and secured and white
washed
One Jew in Bethlehem.
The ancient rock hewn cistern
known throughout>t world as Da-
vid's Well, and the small, domed Mos
lem burying place known as Rachel's
tomb, appeared in 1919 exactly as
they appeared when the last of the
tourists fingered the last of the Bae-
dekers before them in 1914. The
Church of the Holy Nativity stands at
the eastern end of the town as stark
and whitish gray as it stood before it
witnessed the most important event in
Its 1900 years of life-the powerful |
Impact of the west on the Ottoman
empire. The sound of expiring en-
pires comes dim with distance into
the gold and jeweled silence inside the
Church of the Holy Nativity.
bethlehem is a Christian town. II
s the most Christian town in southern
Palestine. In country inhabited by |
$4,000 Moslems, 10000 Jews and 61,-
700 Christians. Bethlehem's population
consists of 1000 Christians and a
remnant Of Moslems, whose number
Ices not exceed 500. Just now a third
element has been added to it's popula-
ion | climbed back and forth through
is steep, narrow, slippery streets for
IN hour without seeing any Of those
neck, fur hated figures one passes
10 continually in the Jaffa road at
Then stopped a random
British soldier
II see no Jews here" said.
mo, sir"
"Are there any Jews in Bethlehem
Eyes. sir"
allow many?"
"One, sir"
"How long has he been hereT
"Three weeks, SIR"
Only Jew is a Doctor.
He is doctor, with the six pointed
tar of Zionism on his khaki sleeve.
Who was brought to Bethlehem by
he deputy military governor. Bethlec
EN- and Nazareth heretofore have not
omitted Jews to their population.
l stood one morning recently in an
pstairs window of the old Turkish