Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, experienced a subdued Christmas Eve due to the ongoing war in Gaza. The festive atmosphere was absent, with canceled celebrations and a significant drop in tourism.
BETHLEHEM , West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem observed another somber Christmas Eve on Tuesday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus under the shadow of war in Gaza. The usual cheer that descends upon the West Bank during Christmas week was absent. The festive lights and giant tree that typically adorn Manger Square were missing, as were the throngs of foreign tourists. Palestinian scouts marched silently through the streets, a departure from their usual boisterous brass marching band.
Security forces positioned barriers near the Church of the Nativity, built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. A young boy stood holding a pile of balloons for sale but gave up because there were no customers. The cancellation of Christmas festivities dealt a severe blow to the town's economy. Tourism accounts for an estimated 70% of Bethlehem’s income — almost all from the Christmas season. The number of visitors to Bethlehem plummeted from a pre-COVID high of around 2 million per year in 2019 to fewer than 100,000 in 2024, said Jiries Qumsiyeh, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Tourism Ministry. A surge of violence in the West Bank, where more than 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire and dozens of Israelis have been killed in militant attacks, has significantly hindered tourism. Palestinian officials do not provide a breakdown of how many of the deceased are civilians and how many are fighters. Since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that ignited the war, access to and from Bethlehem and other towns in the West Bank has been restricted, with long lines of motorists waiting to pass through Israeli military checkpoints. These restrictions have prevented some 150,000 Palestinians from leaving the territory to work in Israel, causing the Israeli economy to contract by 25%. In the Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel, Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took more than 250 Israeli hostages
CHRISTMAS BETHLEHEM GAZA WAR TOURISM WEST BANK
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