After two years of subdued Christmas celebrations due to war, thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem's Manger Square on Christmas Eve. The giant Christmas tree returned, as dozens of scouts groups marched by playing festive music. Bethlehem has canceled celebrations during the past two years due to the Israel-Hamas war.
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Doctors wish they wouldn'tIt's not too late to turn the page and start reading again in 2026TikTok signs deal to form new US unit with investors, including Oracle, Silver LakeAyesha Curry shares her recipe for a 'So This Is Christmas Cocktail'Gaza's tiny Christian community tries to capture the holiday spirit during the ceasefireTrump anuncia planes para un nuevo"acorazado" de la Armada como parte de una"Flota Dorada"The city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank finished its last-minute preparations on Christmas Eve, ready to usher in the celebrations.Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, is received by local community while crossing an Israeli military checkpoint from Jerusalem ahead of celebrations at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, is received by local community while crossing an Israeli military checkpoint from Jerusalem ahead of celebrations at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. Palestinians and tourists visit the Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, believed to be Jesus’ birthplace, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. The city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank finished its last-minute preparations on Christmas Eve, ready to usher in the celebrations.Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, is received by local community while crossing an Israeli military checkpoint from Jerusalem ahead of celebrations at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, is received by local community while crossing an Israeli military checkpoint from Jerusalem ahead of celebrations at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, is received by local community while crossing an Israeli military checkpoint from Jerusalem ahead of celebrations at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, is received by local community while crossing an Israeli military checkpoint from Jerusalem ahead of celebrations at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. Palestinians and tourists visit the Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, believed to be Jesus’ birthplace, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. Palestinians and tourists visit the Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, believed to be Jesus’ birthplace, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as crowds of families and music and decorations heralded a much-needed boost of Christmas spirit after two years of war-tinged somber celebrations.for the past two years during the war in Gaza, holding muted celebrations few decorations or lights or festive events. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic leader in the Holy Land, kicked off Christmas celebrations during the traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, calling for “a Christmas full of light.” “After two years of darkness, we need light,” Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said as he crossed the separation wall that divides Jerusalem from Bethlehem. Arriving in Manger Square, Pizzaballa said he came bearing greetings from Gaza’s tiny Christian community, where he held a pre-Christmas Mass on Sunday. But among the devastation, he also saw a desire for life and to rebuild. “We, all together, we decide to be the light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world,” he told thousands of people, Christian and Muslim, who gathered in the square. Despite Wednesday’s holiday cheer, the impact of the war in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is acute, especially in Bethlehem, where around 80% of the Muslim-majority city’s residents depend upon tourism-related businesses, according to the local government. The vast majority of people celebrating Wednesday were local residents, with only a handful of foreigners mixed among the crowd. But some residents said they are starting to see some small signs of change as domestic tourism slowly returns and hopefully will herald the return of international visitors the city depends on.“Today is a day of joy, a day of hope, the beginning of the return of normal life here,” said Bethlehem resident Georgette Jackaman, a tour guide who has not worked in more than two years. “People are desperate, but after two years, everyone wants to celebrate.” She and her husband, Michael Jackaman, another guide who is out of work, are from established Christian Bethlehem families that stretch back generations. This is the first real Christmas celebration for their two children, aged 2 1/2 and 10 months. During the war, the Jackamans pivoted to create a website selling Palestinian handicrafts to try to support others who also have lost their livelihoods.. During the Gaza war, the unemployment rate in the city jumped from 14% to 65%, Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati “People are still afraid to come visit,” said Georgette Jackaman. “But if people come here, we can breathe a bit of the world, even if we are living with restrictions.” “I came because I wanted to better understand what people in Palestine are going through, and you can sense people have been through a very hard time,” said Mona Riewer, a physiotherapist from France. Although friends and family abroad cautioned her against coming due to the volatile situation, Riewer said being in Bethlehem to mark Christmas helped her appreciate the meaning of the holiday. “Christmas is like hope in very dark situations, a very vulnerable child experiencing harshness,” she said.Attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have reached their highest level since the United Nations humanitarian office started collecting data in 2006. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war. The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority has limited autonomy in parts of the territory, including Bethlehem. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to attend the midnight Mass on Wednesday night for the first time in two years, the mayor said. As poverty and unemployment have soared during the war, about 4,000 people have left Bethlehem in search of work, the mayor said. Christians account for less than 2% of the West Bank’s roughly 3 million residents, a presence that has been shrinking. Across the Middle East, the Christian population hasThe beginning of a return to normal life Fadi Zoughbi, who previously worked overseeing logistics for tour groups, said his children were ecstatic to see the more than two dozen scouts marching bands streaming through the streets of Bethlehem. They represent cities and towns across the West Bank, with Palestinian flags and tartan draped on their bagpipes, drummers spinning mallets adorned with pompoms. For the past two years, the scouts marched silently through the streets as a protest against the ongoing war. Irene Kirmiz, who grew up in Bethlehem and now lives in Ramallah, said the scout parade is among her favorite Christmas traditions. Her 15-year-old daughter plays the tenor drum with the Ramallah scouts, the same instrument she played as a teen scout. But her family in Ramallah had to wake up at 5 a.m. Wednesday to arrive in time for the parade and waited upwards of three hours at the Israeli checkpoints along the way. The drive previously took 40 minutes without the “It’s very emotional seeing people trying to bounce back, trying to celebrate peace and love,” Kirmiz said. “I remember the Bethlehem of my childhood, it really depends on tourism, and so many Christians have left, the streets are empty and families are suffering. But today we see a light of happiness, and we are hoping for a better peace for everyone.” The Israeli Ministry of Tourism estimates 130,000 tourists will visit Israel by the end of December, including 40,000 Christians. In 2019, a banner year for tourism before the pandemic, the tourism ministry said“any unnecessarily festive activities.” They encouraged priests and the faithful to focus on Christmas’ spiritual meaning and called for “fervent prayers for a just and lasting peace for our beloved Holy Land.” Bethlehem’s Manger Square did not erect the towering Christmas tree and instead featured a nativity scene of baby Jesus surrounded by rubble and barbed wire in homage to the situation in Gaza.
General News Georgette Jackaman Mahmoud Abbas War And Unrest Israel Gaza Strip West Bank Christianity Israel-Hamas War International News Holidays Religion Mona Riewer Christian Bethlehem Fadi Zoughbi Hamas Israel Government 2024-2025 Mideast Wars Irene Kirmiz Michael Jackaman World News World News
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