Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, experienced a muted Christmas Eve due to the ongoing war in Gaza. The festive atmosphere was absent, with tourists and decorations missing.
Bethlehem observed another mournful Christmas Eve on Tuesday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus, overshadowed by the ongoing war in Gaza. The usual Christmas cheer that typically fills the West Bank during this week was absent. The festive lights and giant tree that usually adorn Manger Square were missing, as were the crowds of foreign tourists. Palestinian scouts marched silently through the streets, a departure from their customary boisterous brass band.
Security forces erected barriers near the Church of the Nativity, built on the site believed to be Jesus' birthplace. A young boy selling balloons gave up his attempt as there were no customers. The cancellation of Christmas festivities dealt a harsh blow to the town's economy. Tourism accounts for an estimated 70% of Bethlehem's income – almost entirely from the Christmas season. The number of visitors to Bethlehem plummeted from a pre-COVID peak of about 2 million per year in 2019 to less than 100,000 in 2024, stated Jiries Qumsiyeh, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Tourism Ministry. A surge of violence in the West Bank, where over 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire and dozens of Israelis have been killed in militant attacks, has significantly hampered 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 triggered the war, access to and from Bethlehem and other towns in the West Bank has been restricted, with long queues of motorists waiting at Israeli military checkpoints. These restrictions have prevented approximately 150,000 Palestinians from leaving the territory to work in Israel, leading to a 25% contraction of the Israeli economy. In the Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel, Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took over 250 Israeli hostages
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Bethlehem plans another somber Christmas under the shadow of war in GazaThe city of Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, will not have the usual trappings of the city's favorite holiday: no public Christmas tree, no raucous scouts march, no decorations and no twinkling lights, in deference to the ongoing war in Gaza.
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Read more »
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Read more »
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