Bethlehem experiences a subdued Christmas Eve amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, with cancelled festivities and a significant decline in tourism.
Bethlehem observed another somber Christmas Eve on Tuesday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus, overshadowed by the ongoing war in Gaza. The usual festive atmosphere that fills the West Bank during Christmas week was absent. The festive lights and giant Christmas tree that typically adorn Manger Square were missing, as were the large crowds of foreign tourists. Palestinian scouts marched silently through the streets, a departure from their usual lively brass band performances.
Security forces erected barriers near the Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Jesus is believed to have been born. A young boy selling balloons gave up his efforts as no customers were interested. The cancellation of Christmas festivities dealt a severe blow to the town's economy, as tourism accounts for an estimated 70% of Bethlehem's income, nearly all generated during 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, according to Jiries Qumsiyeh, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Tourism Ministry. A surge of violence in the West Bank, resulting in over 800 Palestinian deaths from Israeli fire and dozens of Israeli deaths in militant attacks, has significantly hampered tourism. Palestinian officials do not provide a breakdown of civilian versus fighter casualties. 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 queues of motorists waiting at Israeli military checkpoints. These limitations have prevented approximately 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, mostly civilians, and took over 250 Israeli hostages
CHRISTMAS BETHLEHEM GAZA WAR TOURISM WEST BANK
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