In light of Gaza war, Bethlehem, city of Jesus’ birth, cancelled Christmas celebrations

Difficult situation in Gaza, lack of tourism overshadows the normally festive season

Nativity scene in rubble in show of solidarity with Gaza, in Bethlehem, Dec. 24, 2023 (Photo: Paul Calvert)

Christmas is usually a very busy time for Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. However, this year, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Christmas celebrations were canceled.

According to the Bethlehem Municipality, Christmas celebrations were canceled in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

While Bethlehem is under the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, many people in Bethlehem have family relations living in Gaza.

The Oct. 7 invasion by Hamas caused a significant number of airlines to cancel their flights to and from Israel. The lack of tourism has hit the Bethlehem economy particularly hard as the city relies on visitors for more than 80% of its income.

The Israeli government’s decision to restrict Palestinian workers from the territories of Judea and Samaria has also profoundly affected the Palestinian economy. Over 100,000 Palestinians in the territories had work permits to enter Israel before the war.

Following the Oct. 7 invasion and a rise in violent incidents in Palestinian cities like Jenin, Nablus, and Hebron, Israel completely restricted Palestinian entry to Israeli territory for several weeks. It has only recently begun to allow a limited number of Palestinians to enter Israel for work, however, workers in Bethlehem were not included.

In the square outside the Church of the Nativity, there is no Christmas tree. There is a depiction of the holy family, but instead of a traditional nativity scene, this year the holy family is displayed amid the rubble from bombing.

The streets of Bethlehem, usually lined with Christmas lights and tinsel, were bare of any decorations. The Christmas parade, a festive occasion involving the local scouting groups and handmade floats by local businesses and organizations, did not take place this year.

Father Issa Thalajiah compared the situation to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Nobody is coming to the church, or even during this period to visit, like COVID-19,” Father Thalajiah said.

A solidarity parade took place on Sunday, Dec. 24, in which members of the Palestinian scouts marched through the city holding signs with messages of support for the people of Gaza.

A group of people unfurled a large Palestinian flag in the square outside the Church of the Nativity following speeches by Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Hanania and officials from Catholic and Orthodox churches in Bethlehem.

Several of those speaking compared the situation in Gaza to King Herod the Great’s attempt to kill the baby Jesus or compared the holy family’s flight to Egypt with the displaced citizens of Gaza. Speakers decried the violent strikes by the IDF which, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Authority, is responsible for the deaths of some 24,000 Gazans.

That figure has not been independently verified by other organizations due to the active combat situation and includes around 8,000 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists killed in airstrikes or in fighting with IDF soldiers.

What was missing from the solidarity speeches were condemnations of the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7 that led to the war.