One of these days, I will get a laptop. In the meantime, my travels take me away from blogging. In this instance, however, they will not take me away from bloggers -- in particular, a few of my favorites, as we will be congregating in Richmond, VA, this weekend to celebrate Meryl's bat mitzvah.
Before I go, though, I'm calling one last piece of BS. For the road.
Socioeconomic hardships caused by the West Bank security barrier are contributing to the decline in the Christian population in the Holy Land, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
"I recently met with Christians in Bethlehem, people by no means extreme, and they told of the daily burdens driving in and out of the city that were created by the wall," Williams said by telephone during a break in his 24-hour visit to these parts.
Williams did not mention other, long-standing, explanations for the exodus from traditionally Christian towns.
Muslim violence against Christians coupled with Hamas's victory in the latest Palestinian Authority election and economics hardships caused, in part, by Hamas's refusal to recognize Israel, are the most commonly cited reasons for the steady decrease in the number of Christians living in the PA.
Here is one thing you can count on. If the supporters of Israel make a convincing argument that reflects badly on our adversaries, said adversaries will find a way to turn it to their advantage. Not accurately. Not truthfully. But if they perceive that it's gaining traction, they will try to spin it around 180 degrees and throw it back at us.
This one won't be so easy. The exodus of Christians from PA controlled territories was well underway long before the construction of the fence, let alone the Hamas victory. And it's all well documented. Of course, since when did facts ever get in the way ... ?
See you next week.
