Message from Leila
Sansour, Chief Executive, Open Bethlehem.
December 2005
As I prepare to return to Bethlehem for what I hope will be a special
Christmas, I can look back on the last two months as the most intense of my
life. The creation of Open Bethlehem has been a significant achievement for
everyone involved. The project was launched on two fronts: first, to build a
political campaign to raise awareness of the dangers facing Bethlehem and
second, to create a city regeneration project establishing Bethlehem as a prime
tourist destination, shaped by Bethlehem’s own citizens.
It is difficult to believe that the campaign was born only nine months ago. It
has taken a great deal of commitment from very many people to take us so far, so
fast. I would like to express my personal thanks to our Director in Bethlehem,
Carol Dabdoub who has been the best partner I could dream of, and to Jumana Al-Husseini
in Jordan without whom this whole project would never have happened. I owe a
very special thank-you to the JAC Trust in the UK, our very first supporter, and
to The Swiss Development Agency for their unwavering support, and their
commitment to new voices in Palestine. I would also like to thank Fadi Ghandour,
a true friend of Open Bethlehem from the beginning; Nabeel Qaddumi, one of our
most generous patrons; Louay Abu Ghazaleh and Bassem Al-Shahabi.
Can Bethlehem survive its current crisis or will the world sleep through the
destruction of the city of God? We cannot answer this question. One thing is
clear, though: we have never taken the message into our own hands. We haven’t
done enough to voice the most profound values of our city. At Open Bethlehem, we
believe that our city may still have a future if we fight for it with all the
energy and creativity it deserves. We must: for our own sake and for the world.