Bethlehem opts out of Christmas celebrations in solidarity with Gaza
Christmas has been muted in Bethlehem this year because of the Israel-Gaza war, but residents of the occupied West Bank town believe the Christian festival’s message of hope is more important than ever.
The conflict in the Gaza Strip has prompted residents of Bethlehem to cancel their Christmas celebrations for the first time in decades.
The enormous plastic Christmas tree that usually dominates Manger Square is absent. Gone, too, are the sparkly lights above the plaza and the crowds of pilgrims who come to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Tour guide Kamal Mukarker said his family needs the hopeful message of Christmas now more than ever, amid the pain of the war in Gaza and the resulting economic hardship for Palestinians in the West Bank.
“It’s our obligation. Jesus is the prince of peace and this is where his message started,” he told The National.
Christmas “brings joy to our hearts – it’s the only thing that gives us hope and life”, he added.
“I’m not going to go out and celebrate on the streets, but it will be really sad if the Christians of Bethlehem do not celebrate Christmas with their children, at least in their homes.”
While Mr Mukarker emphasised that his struggle pales compared to that of Gazans, he said the war, which has raged since early October, had dashed his hopes for the biggest recovery in tourism to the Holy Land since the Covid pandemic.
“Most regular tourists that visit us come in October and November and then the week of Christmas – during the Jewish festivals of September they don’t come because the price of hotels is so high,” he said.
“Officially, these feasts ended this year on October 6, so that was the first real work day for us in four years. Now, after October 7, there’s nothing.
“If you could have seen my calendar, it was packed.”
Economic activity in the West Bank has ground to a halt since the war broke out.
Israeli forces have carried out regular raids in the region, most notably the city of Jenin, where more than 490 Palestinians have been killed.
Against this backdrop, churches have decided to cut back on celebrations this Christmas.
In previous years, Reverend Munther Isaac put up a small, colourfully decorated Christmas tree in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. The tree, along with a tableau depicting the infant Jesus in a manger, has long been an integral part of Christmas celebrations for Christians worldwide.
They take on added significance in Bethlehem, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, as a sign that Christians remain a vibrant community in the Holy Land, despite high rates of emigration and increasing persecution.
This year, Rev Isaac and his congregation decided not to put up the Christmas tree out of respect for the thousands killed in Gaza.
“No one feels like celebrating,” he said.
“We celebrate a baby every Christmas, but children are being literally massacred in Gaza right now.”
Gaza’s population includes a small Christian community of about 1,000, according to
Christians remain a vibrant community in the Holy Land despite emigration and increasing persecution
religious leaders. Christians in the enclave have not been spared amid the devastation of the conflict.
On October 19, Israel struck St Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza city, where Christians and Muslims had sought shelter. Eighteen people were killed.
Pope Francis makes almost daily calls to a small Catholic community in northern Gaza, where about 700 Palestinians have taken refuge in a church after losing their homes amid Israeli bombardment.
The Pope speaks on most days to a priest and nuns at the Church of the Holy Family, and asks how they are coping, blesses them and prays for peace, they have said.
Rev Isaac said the Israeli bombardment has destroyed or damaged the home of every Christian in Gaza.
“So, if they survive this war, they’re homeless.
“And most of them have relatives here [in the West Bank], so this is very close – it’s hitting home.”