Before coming to Bethlehem, in a time of others praying for us at our home church, Faith Lutheran in Shelton, WA., an image came to my mind of Jesus weeping in the Garden of Gethsemane. As I further reflected on it, I seemed to sense Christ identifying and praying with His suffering children. I got the same sense of that as the news came on Wednesday and Thursday mornings that Jerusalem police in full riot gear busted into the 24 hour prayer vigils held by hundreds of Muslim worshippers at the al-Aqsa mosque, also known at al-Haram al-Sharif, the third holiest place in Islam. In the past they have been protected under law with from intrusions on their space, and especially at Ramadam. However, this exclusion is being tested more all the time by ultra orthodox, far right, Jewish “settler “groups (colonizers, squatters), who this year were planning to sacrifice a goat inside the mosque as an obvious insult and desecration. Some barriers were set up to keep intruders out, and many coming to prayer were women with veils on their faces. The police stormed the prayer meeting, broke windows, overturned furnishing, filled the assembly with tear gas canisters, and severely beat people with rifle butts and police batons. Many legs and arms were broken of those gathered, but first aid and medics were prevented from getting to the injured and bruised. Pictures of all this violence have gotten out from people actually there. Pictures also show many people lying on the ground, bound hand and foot, before being taken off to jail. Approximately 300 were arrested. The official new reports* were only saying that “as usual, there are conflicts during the times of Ramadan/Passover” and the Israeli police “suspected this gathering to have masked agitators who had barricaded themselves inside with fireworks”. (BBC News) Live videos of the scene quickly reveal the violence and aggressive behavior came from the police initiative. I believe nothing would have happened had they simply let the people freely gather and pray. It was a sad, sad time indeed. I believe Jesus suffers for and with all human being who are treated unjustly and once again, Jesus wept!

*For two media sources that do show video footage of the beatings and police behavior, you can check with BBC, and Al Jazeera news.