Christmas in Bethlehem this year was marked by a somber mood due to the ongoing war in Gaza. The traditional festivities were canceled, leaving the city without its usual cheer and crowds of tourists.
Bethlehem marked another somber Christmas Eve on Tuesday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus under the shadow of war in Gaza. The excitement and cheer that typically descends on the Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank on Christmas were nowhere to be found: The festive lights and giant tree that normally decorate Manger Square were missing, and as were the throngs of foreign tourists that usually fill the square.
Palestinian scouts marched silently through the streets, a departure from their usual raucous brass marching band. Some carried a sign that read, “We want life, not death.”Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, center, waves as he arrives at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Palestinian security forces, meanwhile, arranged barriers near the Nativity Church, built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born, and a worker cleared garbage bins. “Always the message of Bethlehem is a message of peace and hope,” said Mayor Anton Salman. “And these days, we are also sending our message to the world: peace and hope, but insisting that the world must work to end our suffering as Palestinian people.”The cancellation of Christmas festivities is a severe blow to the town’s economy. Tourism accounts for an estimated 70% of Bethlehem’s income — almost all of it from the Christmas season. Salman said unemployment is hovering around 50% — higher than the 30% unemployment across the rest of the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Finance Ministr
BETHLEHEM CHRISTMAS GAZA WAR PALESTINE ECONOMY
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