Little Town of Bethlehem is a new an inspiring true story of three men in a land gripped by fear, hatred, and division. These men expected to be enemies, instead strive together to end what they call the “cycle of violence”.
The videography is excellent. The story telling is engaging and I think helpful for those of us who are far removed from the realities of this ancient struggle. I believe the intentions of the film makers are genuine and true. I struggle with what seems like a moral equivalence between the victims of terror and the perpetrators of terror. For us outside that region it is very hard to understand because these tensions run deep.
I believe there are two very different things happening here: the struggle of Jews to survive terror and the struggle of Arabs who are mostly being held captive by the intransigence of Arabs states.
I’m not convinced either that its simply a “tit for tat” or a “cycle”. There is a difference between acts of terror (a suicide bomber or a missile attack) and the response to that terror (destroying a bomb-making factory or eliminating a missile launcher).
Given my concerns, I still think this video is an excellent and useful resource to shine a light on what is happening and to raise awareness and to begin a thoughtful discussion, particularly as it encourages a “non-violent” solution. There are some great resources on their website to help.