Shahinda Nassar can cite all the reasons Palestinians in the West Bank struggle: lack of opportunities, lack of rights, high unemployment, military blockades. But for her, it comes down to one thing: “We’re not free. We are occupied. And this is something that people do not think about.”
“We’re trying our best, but we can’t control the circumstances and the situation here in Palestine,” she says. “Can I protect my children? No, I can’t. So, what else can I offer them if I can’t offer them protection as a mother, as a parent? So, it’s really hard on me, and we really don’t know what to do other than just live our lives day by day, endure this instability, unpredictability, in this Holy Land that’s supposed to be holy.”
Mrs. Nassar also knows if her family leaves, not only does Bethlehem lose more of its Christian presence, but the Christian-owned properties in the city will get sold and resold, “and, with time, the property no longer belongs to a Christian family.”
At the same time, she understands what young people are facing.
“How come I can’t go to Jerusalem when it’s the Holy Week? How come I need even to ask for a permit? It doesn’t make any sense to me. It really makes our life very difficult here. And I really feel the pain that the young people, like my children, like Sally, is feeling, that it’s hard to live here and they want more opportunities,” she says.
Watch Mrs. Nassar’s testimony in this video, as she explains the quandaries Christian families face. Listen to the audio of her testimony on our Podbean channel and read more about the struggles facing residents of Bethlehem in “Landscape of Loss,” in the June issue of ONE magazine.