It is Christmas Eve, and in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the streets are empty.
There are none of the traditionally festive lights twinkling in Manger Square. No decorations cover a Christmas tree, no marching bands are playing, no tourists have gathered from around the world to mark their Saviour’s birth.
In Bethlehem, it is a silent night.
The bloody war between Israel and the Hamas terrorists who savagely invaded the Jewish nation on October 7 has canceled Christmas Eve, according to the Associated Press.
Vietnamese Franciscan monk Brother John Vinh has called Jerusalem home for six years.
“This year,” he said, “without the Christmas tree and without lights, there’s just darkness.”
Instead of a joyous display of a swaddled baby Jesus, Palestinian Christians installed an apocalyptic version of the nativity in the West Bank square, featuring barbed wire and rubble. More of a protest than a tribute to the King of Kings, the dystopian display was in remembrance of the children killed in Gaza.
(Video: YouTube)
“Dozens of Palestinian security forces patrolled the empty square,” according to the AP.
Ala’a Salameh, co-owns Afteem Restaurant, a family-owned falafel place a stone’s throw from Manger Square.
“We can’t justify putting out a tree and celebrating as normal, when some people (in Gaza) don’t even have houses to go to,” Salameh explained.
This year, a banner declared, “Bethlehem’s Christmas bells ring for a cease-fire in Gaza.”
The town’s somber tone carries with it an economic bombshell.
“The cancellation of Christmas festivities is a severe blow to the town’s economy. Tourism accounts for an estimated 70% of Bethlehem’s income — almost all of that during the Christmas season,” the AP reports. “With many major airlines canceling flights to Israel, few foreigners are visiting. Local officials say over 70 hotels in Bethlehem have been forced to close, leaving thousands of people unemployed.”
Christmas Eve is normally Bethlehem’s busiest day, Salameh confirmed.
“Normally, you can’t find a single chair to sit, we’re full from morning till midnight,” he said.
“This year, just one table was taken,” the AP reports, “by journalists taking a break from the rain.”
Bethlehem’s mayor, Hana Haniyeh, addressed what crowd there was, noting the “sadness” in the air.
“Our message every year on Christmas is one of peace and love,” she said, “but this year it’s a message of sadness, grief and anger in front of the international community with what is happening and going on in the Gaza Strip.”
And the sentiment has spread outside of Bethlehem.
“This year, Christmas celebrations are canceled, and for obvious reasons” Munther Isaac, an Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church pastor, said. “It’s impossible to celebrate while our people in Gaza are going through a genocide, when children are being massacred in such a brutal manner.”
This year, Christmas celebrations are cancelled in Bethlehem. pic.twitter.com/XFFhkLlJs5
— Evarts (@r_evarts) December 17, 2023
“All the heads of churches in Jerusalem decided that Christmas celebrations will be mainly prayers with no festive celebrations,” he stated.
Surrounding baby Jesus with rubble is their way of saying that Christ “identifies with our suffering.”
“He is in solidarity with those who are oppressed,” Issac said. “He’s in solidarity with those suffering. So it’s a message of comfort and hope to us.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.