IWest Bank engqingiweyo yasePalestine ibetha i-blockade yakwa-Israeli ukuba ivele njengendawo ekhulayo, ukuba akunakwenzeka, indawo yokutyela.
Ekhuthazwe kukuphindaphindwa kwamanani abatyeleli kulo nyaka uphelileyo kwaye enqwenela utyalo-mali lwangaphakathi, urhulumente wasePalestine unethemba lokutsala abakhenkethi abanomdla ukuba bamangalise amatye ezikhumbuzo amandulo eLizwe eliNgcwele kunye nolwakhiwo lwalo lwangoku oloyikekayo, kubandakanywa udonga lukaSirayeli “lokulwa” kunye nengcwaba likaYasser Arafat Ramallah.
Kwinkomfa yokuqala yophuhliso lwamazwe ngamazwe e-West Bank eBhetelehem ekuqaleni kwale nyanga, eyabonisa iiprojekthi ezixabisa i-£ 1 yezigidigidi, i-Palestinian National Authority ngoku iqalise iwebhusayithi yayo yokuqala yezokhenketho, www.visit-palestine.com.
I-Palestine ayikwazi ukuziphakamisa njengendawo ezimeleyo ngenxa yolawulo lwe-Israel kwisikhululo seenqwelomoya kunye nokhuseleko. Iindwendwe eziya eBhetelehem kufuneka zithabathe uhambo olothusayo kwindawo yokuhlola yasemkhosini kunye nomqobo wokhuseleko wekhonkrithi - ngoku oziikhilomitha ezingama-280 ubude - awathi uSirayeli waqala ukuwakha ngo-2002.
Noko ke, abantu basePalestina banethemba. U-Yousef Daher, umlawuli olawulayo we-ABS Tourism, uthe:
“Amathuba maninzi, kunye nobutyebi beendawo ekusingwa kuzo. Kukho amathuba otyalo-mali olutsha. IRamallah ifumene ubhukisho olugqithisileyo ngenxa yokuba iBhetelehem neYerusalem azikwazanga ukumelana nentshukumo ngo-Epreli ukuya ngoMeyi, ngelixa iGaza iya kuba lithuba elihle labakhenkethi xa ixesha lilungile.
Ethetha kwiofisi yakhe yaseBhetelehem, phantsi komnye wemifanekiso ehlala kuyo yonke indawo ka-Yasser Arafat, uKhouloud Daibes, umphathiswa omtsha wezokhenketho kunye nezinto zakudala zasePalestine, sele ebhiyozela impumelelo yokuqala kwisithuba sakhe.
UNksk. Daibes, oyena mntu uphambili kuluntu lwaseBethlehem olunciphayo lwama-Arab-Christian, uthe: “Besifumana abakhenkethi okanye abahambi ngezonqulo ubuncinci iminyaka engama-2,000, ngoko sinesithethe esidala namava amaninzi kunye neziseko zoncedo zokwamkela abakhenkethi.”
Abakhenkethi beKrisimesi abaya eBhetelehem baphindeke kathathu ukuya kuma-60,000 kulo nyaka uphelileyo, ngelixa amanani karhulumente esithi inani lilonke leendwendwe kwiihotele zasePalestine liphindaphindeke kabini ngo-2007 ukuya kuma-315,866.
UNksk. Daibes wongeze wathi: “Sifuna ukubuyisela iPalestine kwimephu, sisebenzisa iBhetelehem njengendawo yokwaphula ukubakheswa kwabakhenkethi. Namhlanje, sigxile kunxantathu waseYerusalem, eBhetelehem naseYeriko, efikelelekayo kubakhenkethi.
“Rhoqo ngenyanga sibona amanani abakhenkethi esonyuka. Oku kusinika ithemba lokuba kukho imfuneko ephezulu.”
Sele ephembelele ngempumelelo oorhulumente abaliqela ukuba baphakamise izilumkiso zokhuseleko kubahambi abaya eBhetelehem, kwaye andise intengiso e-UK, eSpain, e-Itali, nakwindawo eyayisakuba yi-Soviet bloc.
Wathi: “Sifuna ukuba ngamahlakani alinganayo noSirayeli kwaye sabelane ngeLizwe eliNgcwele. Kodwa ngoku kukho ukusasazwa ngokungafanelekanga kwenzuzo yokhenketho kwicala lakwa-Israeli, ngeepesenti ezingama-95 zabakhenkethi abahlala kwa-Israel, basishiya nje ngeepesenti ezi-5.
Ngenxa yezithintelo eziqhubekayo zakwa-Israyeli zokuhamba kwabo bobabini abakhenkethi kunye nabemi ngokufanayo kwizixeko zembali ezifana neNablus, iHebron kunye neJeriko, uNksk. Ramallah.
Ugxininise wathi: “Nangona ukhenketho lwezenkolo luza kuhlala lulolona khenketho luthandwayo, sifuna ukuphuhlisa amathuba amatsha ahambelana nentsingiselo yehlabathi, kuquka ukhenketho lwendalo, ukhenketho lolutsha, kunye nokhenketho lwezempilo. Sililizwe elincinci elinomhlaba ohluke kakhulu kunye nemozulu kwaye sinamandla amakhulu okufumana iindawo ezintsha. "
Ukwanda kwabakhenkethi kuyaqala ukubonakala kwiisouksi eziphithizelayo zaseBethlehem, iivenkile, iindawo zokutyela kunye neehotele.
Omnye umphathi wehotele wathi: “Oku kuxakeke ngendlela endikhumbula ngayo. SinamaPolisi, amaRashiya, amaJamani, amaTaliyane namaSpanish yaye sibamkela ngezandla ezishushu bonke.”
Elinye ilungu lamapolisa abakhenkethi besi sixeko lithe abakhenkethi bafika “besoyika kwaye bexhelekile” kodwa baphumle kwaye bayonwabele iholide yabo emva kweeyure ezimbalwa.
Uthe: “Amajelo eendaba akwa-Israel kunye nehlabathi athi iPalestine ayikhuselekanga kubakhenkethi, kodwa abayixeli inyani – ukuba abantu basePalestine bafuna uxolo nokhuseleko kwaye sinobubele kwaye bamkelekile.
Eyona nto ibalulekileyo kuthi kukuba abakhenkethi beze kuhlala eBhetelehem kwaye babone yonke into kwaye baqonde ukuba sinjani kwaye sifuna ntoni.
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