American Christian Claims His Life Was Threatened by PA Official
By: Administrative Account | Source: CNSNews.com
October 31, 2007 10:23AM EST

By Julie Stahl
CNSNews.com Jerusalem Bureau Chief
October 31, 2007

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - An American Christian of Arab descent, who has been doing humanitarian work in Palestinian Authority-ruled Ramallah for years, says he is being threatened by a P.A. official because of his religion -- and when he complained to the authorities, he was invited to pay protection money.

American-born Pastor Isa Bajalia, whose parents come from Ramallah, told Cybercast News Service that his life has been threatened by a low-level P.A. official.

That official told him he would end up like Rami Ayyad, a Palestinian Bible Society worker who was stabbed and shot to death by unknown assailants in Gaza earlier this month, reportedly for refusing to convert to Islam.

Bajalia, who is legally blind, said the official also threatened that he would be crippled for life.

Bajalia said that when he approached other P.A. officials for help, he was told there would be no more problems if he would pay thousands of dollars in protection money to the police. The P.A. has been accused of corruption for years.

The U.S. is backing P.A. Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah faction and security forces, hoping for a revival of the peace process with Israel against the radical Hamas faction that took over the Gaza Strip in a violent coup in June.

Bajalia said he has been working in Ramallah for 16 years providing various types of humanitarian aid. For the last five years, he has been bringing in medical supplies and arranging evangelical Christian medical missions.

The trouble started when some of the expatriate medical workers prayed for several Palestinians about two months ago. Since then, he has been under surveillance and received numerous threats, he said.

The threats have come primarily from Nader Dahoud Abu Dahoud, who works for the city hall in Ramallah and is in charge of the street sweepers, said Bajalia.

Dahoud is also a member of the Tanzim -- part of the Fatah faction of Abbas. The last time he came looking for Bajalia, Dahoud was armed and wearing a Tanzim uniform, he said. When someone does that, it means he is acting in an "official capacity," Bajalia said.

Bajalia thinks the threats may also be related to his attempts to sell a piece of family property.

Some Christians in the West Bank have complained that because they are a minority, Muslims feel free to encroach on their property and businesses without fear of recourse.

When the Christians approach the P.A. to complain, they receive no protection, they say.

Only about 1 percent of the population of Ramallah is Christian, but it represents the second-largest Christian population in the West Bank after the Bethlehem area. There is also a tiny Christian community in Nablus.

Bajalia said that the American Consulate has not been forthcoming in dealing with the threats or even responding to his complaints, which he made more than a week ago.

Michaela Schweitzer-Blum, spokeswoman for the U.S. Consulate in eastern Jerusalem -- which deals with affairs in the West Bank -- told Cybercast News Service that she could not discuss Bajalia's case due to privacy laws. She was, however, aware of the situation, she said.

The State Department has warned American citizens not to visit Palestinian areas in the West Bank and particularly not the Gaza Strip.

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