The West Bank’s Bethlehem This year, Christmas is only a whisper in Bethlehem, a little village.
Without their customary drums, horns, and bagpipes, Palestinian scouts marched through the streets.In the main square, there was no joyous countdown to the Christmas tree’s lighting. Actually, there isn’t even a Christmas tree.
Faith leaders and locals are struggling with how to celebrate the joyous occasion when fellow Palestinians are still being slain in Bethlehem, which is experiencing its second gloomy Christmas since the start of the war in Gaza.
The capital of Christmas is Bethlehem. This time of year is said to be the greatest. The pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, Rev. Munther Isaac, told NBC News that none of that is taking place because we are in grief.
An odd Nativity scene can be found next to the altar where Isaac gives sermons: the baby Jesus is nestled on a pile of debris and draped in the customary Palestinian scarf, the akeffiyeh, for the second consecutive Christmas. According to Isaac, it acts as a reminder of the thousands of Palestinian youngsters who were murdered by Israeli strikes throughout the conflict. Every youngster rescued from the debris in Gaza embodies Jesus.
In addition to Gaza’s misery, Bethlehem too has its own problems.
Its economy is mostly reliant on tourism, but due to the conflict brought on by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, few foreign tourists are visiting the city in the occupied West Bank. The economic suffering that started with the Covid epidemic, which also severely damaged the travel and tourism sector, is being exacerbated by this.
Rony Tabash, whose family has had a gift shop close to the Church of the Nativity for almost a century, said, “Honestly, it’s a desert.” Both pilgrims and visitors are absent. He claimed that at his worst, he hadn’t made a single transaction for two months.
In the meantime, Bethlehem is largely surrounded by an Israeli-built wall that isolates it from Jerusalem and prevents residential development and urban expansion. Israel claims that in order to prevent suicide bombs, the wall is an essential security measure. The International Court of Justice, however, ruled in 2004 that it was unlawful under international law.
Many young people are fleeing Bethlehem for a better future elsewhere due to the difficulties, which raises concerns that the Christian population in the city where the faith originated may eventually decline and vanish.
“We are really, really worried,” Isaac stated. This is past the point of danger.
Elderly Christians do not have an easier life. When Nuha Tarazi, 79, tries to call her relatives in Gaza, her landline phone beeps forcefully and the call is unsuccessful once more.
The bereaved grandmother explained, “That’s why I didn’t put up the Christmas tree.” If I did that while they were in pain, I wouldn’t feel good.
Despite having lived in Bethlehem for almost 40 years, Tarazi was born in Gaza City. When the battle started more than a year ago, four of her siblings were still living in the Strip. But she said one of her sisters had been killed in an Israeli strike and a brother had died of untreated kidney disease as Gaza s health care system collapsed.
Her two surviving siblings sister, Samhiaa Azzam, and brother, Atallah Tarazi are among hundreds of Christians sheltering at the Holy Family, a Catholic church in the ruins of Gaza City. Families fall asleep to the thump of nearby airstrikes and the constant whine of an Israeli drone overhead.
We constantly ask God to protect us and safeguard us from all evil, said Atallah, 77, a retired surgeon who once traveled the world but now rarely leaves the church compound and sleeps in a cot in a crowded storage room.
During a visit in Gaza by NBC News, Samhiaa and Atallah placed a call to their sister Nuha in Bethlehem. This time the call connected.
Happy New Year, may you be in peace, Samhiaa, 74,told her sister over the crackly line, urging her to celebrate Christmas despite everything. My greetings to everyone, rejoice as much as you can. Rejoice.
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