Hopelessness dampens Christmas cheer in Bethlehem
Residue of protests hangs in region
BETHLEHEM,West Bank — A Christmas tree inside thedoorway beckoned travelersto the Jacir Palace Hotel, a luxury inn in the West Bank cityof Bethlehem.
But with just days to go before Christmas, the management was mulling whether to reopen or remain closed for the holidays, normally one of the busiest periods for the hotel.
Since President Donald Trump’s recognition this month of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Palestinians have been clashing intermittently with Israeli forces outside the hotel’s gates.
As the clashes have simmered on, sporadic and limited in scope, Bethlehem, like the rest of the Palestinian territories, seemed suspended in a kind of limbo. With residents neither basking in seasonal cheer nor raging in the throes of a new intifada, the popular mood in the city was more one of hopeless resignation.
The Jacir Palace sits along a stretch of road that has become a main flash point for protests, only yards away from Israel’s 26-foot-tall concretebarrier separating Bethlehemfrom Jerusalem.
Recently, the hotel was enjoying a respite as protesters had taken the day off. But residue of tear gas hung in the air outside, inducing itchy eyes and sneezing. Someone picked up a used stun grenade and placed it on a balustrade.
Most of the hotel’s staff members had been sent home, since there were no guests, anyway.
If there were riots going on at check-in time, said Ahmad al-Manawee, the guest relations manager, Plan B was to bring the lodgers in through a side entrance.
Many Palestinians in Bethlehem described their own leadership as feckless and confrontation with the Israelis as futile.
“It’s been sold,” Muhammad Abu Sabaiyya, 41, said of Jerusalem as he sat idly in his empty car repair shop. “Those who are not going out into the streets know it was all already agreed to withour government.”
Mr. Abu Sabaiyya’s cynicism echoed a widespread sentiment as he stared out at the separation wall adorned with graffiti, including a recent addition: an image of Mr. Trump wearing a black skullcap.