No Merry Christmas
By Anthony Dias SJ
Jesus the Jew
Like him before, only a few
Born to a woman
Unblemished
Of origin humble
From the region of Palestine
His birth unique
Foretold
By the prophets of yore
His message
Of all-embracing peace and love
To all women and men of goodwill
Lay at its core
The modern Jewish nation cites
Ancient Biblical quotation
Willfully and cynically
To justify a prolonged
Unjust and hostile
Occupation
Of land
And precious sites
Under great provocation
Continues to subjugate and harass
An entire population
In an open-air incarceration
Waiting expectantly
For the Birth
Of their very own nation
What will this Christmas bring?
To the people of this region?
In the midst of pain and sorrow
Brought about
By a raging war
Using deadly weapons
Abounding in attrition
And deception
Bruised, battered
Hundreds held hostage
Thousands murdered
Where even innocent little children
Mercilessly slaughtered
But the state of arrogance
Of the supreme leader
Of the Jewish nation
Wedded to Zionism
To a supremacist ideology
Engaged in Apartheid and Segregation
And Ruthless a Genocide
Has blood of the innocents
On his hands
Continues with subterfuge and lies
And with Western allies
By his side
Cares a damn
About Human Rights
And Laws and International Conventions
Come on, let’s end this war
It gone too far
Let us unite
With other women and men
With seers and sages
From all nations
To condemn
Terrorism
Of all hues
Espoused by individuals, groups and nations
And wage peace
Re-dedicate ourselves to Satyagraha
Truth and Non-violence
Espoused by Gandhi, Luther and Mandela
Inspired by the ‘King of the Jews’
Born in Bethlehem
When will Christmas come to Bethlehem and Palestine?
Please, No more Strife and Hatred, No more War, No Weapons!
