Watercolour and oil
pastel
Charlene Brown
The fountain shown
here is on Star Street in Bethlehem near the Church of the Nativity which
covers the grotto believed by most Christians to be the location of the birth of
Christ two thousand years ago.
Bethlehem is about ten
kilometres south of Jerusalem. The area was occupied by Rome at the time of
Christ’s birth, and has been invaded and occupied many times over the years since. Although control of the region has alternated
between Arabs and Israelis in recent years – it was part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank after
the Six-Day War in 1967, but was turned over to the Palestinian Authority following
the Oslo Accords in 1993 – it is mainly Christians who come to see
Bethlehem, especially at this time of year.
I hope to be one of them next November.
