🔗 Share this article The Christmas Tree Lights Up Once Again Since the Outbreak of the Gaza War Throughout a two-year period amid the conflict in Gaza, every festive public event for Christmas were called off in Bethlehem located in the West Bank. This city is believed to be where the faithful hold Jesus was born. However, after the recent ceasefire, this sacred city determined that this year celebrations would return, as symbolised by the lighting of its traditional, large holiday tree before the ancient Church of the Nativity. "It's been two difficult years of silence; no holiday, no jobs, no income," remarks the city's mayor Maher Canawati. "We're all living here from tourism and the tourist trade was down to nothing." He acknowledges that the decision to restart festivities faced some debate, as suffering continues in Gaza – which affects those in its tiny Christian community, many of whom have family ties in Bethlehem. "Some may say it's not appropriate and others say it's appropriate," the mayor notes. "But deep inside my heart, I believed this constituted the right thing to do because Christmas must never be stopped or cancelled. This represents the light of hope for our community." A Spark of Celebration Returns Locals – both Christians and Muslims – take photographs before the tree decorated with gold and red ornaments at Manger Square. They are accompanied by a small number of foreign tourists. Vibrant lights now adorn city streets with signs promoting holiday markets and festive events for children. "We're very happy to have the tree, first of all, and to see foreigners to Bethlehem and to be able to observe the holiday in its authentic spirit," says local jewellery designer Nadya Hazboun. "This place is where it all started, therefore here is where we can convey a message globally about what really Christmas represents. And now, if the season is calm, I sincerely hope it will deliver a positive message for the entire world." Economic Hopes and Difficulties The neighbouring towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour are also planning to light Christmas trees in the coming days. Local hotels – which have stood largely empty for the past two years – are seeing a rise of bookings from Arab citizens of Israel along with certain international tourists. One tourist from Russia, named Angelica, is making her second pilgrimage to the Holy Land. "I think every person should visit at least once in their life," she says. "I wish many visitors will soon come back because it's sad without many tourists. The sole aspect that's good is there are no lengthy queues – you can come and see more things. When I came before it was necessary to wait in a queue for a few hours at least." Currently, the souvenir stores scattered throughout the city experience scant trade, and near the pale walls of the Church of the Nativity, which date back to the 4th century, tour guides are mostly unoccupied. Before the Gaza war, it was often crammed with visitors. "Bethlehem is a tourist city; without tourism there is no livelihood," laments one guide Hamza. "We aspire to see individuals returning as in the past: from European nations, the Middle Eastern region, America, Latin American and everywhere. We start with the Christmas tree lighting, and we'll wait." The Persistent Economic Toll Over the last two years, joblessness has soared in Bethlehem. Following the lethal Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel during October 2023 which triggered the war, many thousands of Palestinian workers from the West Bank region have been prevented from entering Israel and its settlements to work. At the same time, public servants have received just a portion of their salaries by the Palestinian Authority (PA) – which governs parts of the West Bank. The PA relies on tax income gathered by Israel, which it is withholding – to the tune of 1.76 billion dollars, as reported by a UN agency. Israel says it is holding these funds due to the fact that the PA makes payments to incarcerated Palestinians that encourage violence against Israelis. The authority – facing global pressure to enact reforms – says it has lately modified its welfare system. An Austere Christmas Season The grim economic outlook means that for many Christian Palestinians, even though there are now public events as well as religious ceremonies, it will constitute an austere Christmas. On the periphery of Manger Square, a few customers are waiting to purchase hot balls of falafel from a row of shops. "We're preparing for the holiday after one of our hardest periods as Palestinians and as Christians," states Alaa Salameh, who runs a restaurant called Afteem, a decades-old family-run eatery that has witnessed its revenues collapse. He notes that recently many families could not even afford falafel – a cheap, traditional food. "The faithful will attempt to mark the occasion but based on their circumstances," Mr Salameh anticipates. "Someone who wants to bring their children to a festive event or the theatre or similar, he doesn't have the money to expend for this celebration." Prayers for Peace and Prosperity In the cave-like grotto beneath the church, a local woman follows a tour group from India, stooping down near a silver star which marks the location where tradition states Jesus was born and igniting a light nearby. With tensions still high across the region, people in Bethlehem state they are praying for tranquility – and hoping for visitors to return to the location which is thought to be Christmas began.
Throughout a two-year period amid the conflict in Gaza, every festive public event for Christmas were called off in Bethlehem located in the West Bank. This city is believed to be where the faithful hold Jesus was born. However, after the recent ceasefire, this sacred city determined that this year celebrations would return, as symbolised by the lighting of its traditional, large holiday tree before the ancient Church of the Nativity. "It's been two difficult years of silence; no holiday, no jobs, no income," remarks the city's mayor Maher Canawati. "We're all living here from tourism and the tourist trade was down to nothing." He acknowledges that the decision to restart festivities faced some debate, as suffering continues in Gaza – which affects those in its tiny Christian community, many of whom have family ties in Bethlehem. "Some may say it's not appropriate and others say it's appropriate," the mayor notes. "But deep inside my heart, I believed this constituted the right thing to do because Christmas must never be stopped or cancelled. This represents the light of hope for our community." A Spark of Celebration Returns Locals – both Christians and Muslims – take photographs before the tree decorated with gold and red ornaments at Manger Square. They are accompanied by a small number of foreign tourists. Vibrant lights now adorn city streets with signs promoting holiday markets and festive events for children. "We're very happy to have the tree, first of all, and to see foreigners to Bethlehem and to be able to observe the holiday in its authentic spirit," says local jewellery designer Nadya Hazboun. "This place is where it all started, therefore here is where we can convey a message globally about what really Christmas represents. And now, if the season is calm, I sincerely hope it will deliver a positive message for the entire world." Economic Hopes and Difficulties The neighbouring towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour are also planning to light Christmas trees in the coming days. Local hotels – which have stood largely empty for the past two years – are seeing a rise of bookings from Arab citizens of Israel along with certain international tourists. One tourist from Russia, named Angelica, is making her second pilgrimage to the Holy Land. "I think every person should visit at least once in their life," she says. "I wish many visitors will soon come back because it's sad without many tourists. The sole aspect that's good is there are no lengthy queues – you can come and see more things. When I came before it was necessary to wait in a queue for a few hours at least." Currently, the souvenir stores scattered throughout the city experience scant trade, and near the pale walls of the Church of the Nativity, which date back to the 4th century, tour guides are mostly unoccupied. Before the Gaza war, it was often crammed with visitors. "Bethlehem is a tourist city; without tourism there is no livelihood," laments one guide Hamza. "We aspire to see individuals returning as in the past: from European nations, the Middle Eastern region, America, Latin American and everywhere. We start with the Christmas tree lighting, and we'll wait." The Persistent Economic Toll Over the last two years, joblessness has soared in Bethlehem. Following the lethal Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel during October 2023 which triggered the war, many thousands of Palestinian workers from the West Bank region have been prevented from entering Israel and its settlements to work. At the same time, public servants have received just a portion of their salaries by the Palestinian Authority (PA) – which governs parts of the West Bank. The PA relies on tax income gathered by Israel, which it is withholding – to the tune of 1.76 billion dollars, as reported by a UN agency. Israel says it is holding these funds due to the fact that the PA makes payments to incarcerated Palestinians that encourage violence against Israelis. The authority – facing global pressure to enact reforms – says it has lately modified its welfare system. An Austere Christmas Season The grim economic outlook means that for many Christian Palestinians, even though there are now public events as well as religious ceremonies, it will constitute an austere Christmas. On the periphery of Manger Square, a few customers are waiting to purchase hot balls of falafel from a row of shops. "We're preparing for the holiday after one of our hardest periods as Palestinians and as Christians," states Alaa Salameh, who runs a restaurant called Afteem, a decades-old family-run eatery that has witnessed its revenues collapse. He notes that recently many families could not even afford falafel – a cheap, traditional food. "The faithful will attempt to mark the occasion but based on their circumstances," Mr Salameh anticipates. "Someone who wants to bring their children to a festive event or the theatre or similar, he doesn't have the money to expend for this celebration." Prayers for Peace and Prosperity In the cave-like grotto beneath the church, a local woman follows a tour group from India, stooping down near a silver star which marks the location where tradition states Jesus was born and igniting a light nearby. With tensions still high across the region, people in Bethlehem state they are praying for tranquility – and hoping for visitors to return to the location which is thought to be Christmas began.