Bethlehem – Even the Israeli military checkpoints in Bethlehem were unusually empty this Christmas. While Palestinians from the occupied West Bank are only allowed to cross with a special permit from Israeli authorities, tourists can pass freely.
But the number of visitors to Bethlehem has plummeted amid Israel’s war on Gaza, with a record low of 100,000 in 2024 compared to two million in 2019.
The city’s streets, normally filled with tourists, pilgrims, lights, and marching bands at this time of year, lie empty as Palestinians mourn the ongoing suffering in Gaza, where more than 45,000 people have been killed since October 2023.
In Manger Square, the heart of Bethlehem where the Church of the Nativity marks the spot where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, the crowds and bustling markets are gone.
Normally a giant Christmas tree would light up the square while a stage for music and songs would be set up, but municipal authorities decided against overt celebrations for the second year running.
When The New Arab visited on 25 December, most churches were also closed, except for the Church of the Nativity.
Palestinian Christians once formed around 10% of the population but the community’s numbers now stand at around 50,000 in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. More than half of the community is Greek Orthodox, celebrating Christmas on 7 January, while Catholics and other denominations celebrate on 25 December.
“In times like these, it is important to remember the suffering of Jesus, who bore his pain on the cross for us,” Jack Giacaman, the owner of a shop selling religious figures handcrafted from olive wood, told TNA.
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Located just meters from the Church of the Nativity, his shop is one of only a few still open.
Tourism accounts for around 70% of Bethlehem’s economy, whether via shops, hotels, or guided tours, with unemployment in the city soaring to an estimated 50%, according to Bethlehem’s mayor Anton Salman.
Giacaman says this Christmas is even worse than the previous one, with a year of suffering in Gaza and the West Bank and no end in sight. For this reason, Bethlehem sees no reason to celebrate.
“The suffering in Gaza reminds us – just as the suffering of Jesus did – that we must stand up against all forms of tyranny,” he adds.
Giacaman, like the majority of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, cannot travel to Jerusalem to visit Christian and Islamic holy sites. Since the war on Gaza, obtaining permits, even for religious celebrations, has become near impossible.
Christ lies among the rubble in Gaza
Reverend Dr Munther Isaac, who teaches at the Bethlehem Bible College, has been a vocal critic of Israel’s war on Gaza. In his Christmas sermon this year he reiterated passionate words of condemnation for the suffering in Gaza.
“It has been 440 days. 440 days of constant bombing. Nonstop. 440 days of starvation. On top of 17 years of siege and imprisonment. Tens of thousands killed. Injured. Forever disabled. Imprisoned. Starved. More than 17,000 children killed,” he said in his Christmas message.
“It feels like we have watched them being killed one by one. 440 days of the people of Gaza sharing live images of their executions; burned alive. And we cannot stop it.”
Dr Yousef Al Khouri, a colleague of Isaac’s at the bible college who was born into a Greek Orthodox family, has relatives in Gaza, part of the estimated 800-1,000 Christian community who remain in the besieged enclave.
“My family lived in a residential building in Gaza City that was also attacked and severely damaged. However, they no longer live there. They were displaced in the first days of the [ongoing] genocide,” he explained to The New Arab.
Even before the war, it was difficult for Dr Al Khouri to meet his family members from Gaza. “I remember when my niece Maha, who lives in Gaza, received a rare permit to travel when she was about eight years old. That was around five years ago,” he recounted.
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“When Maha and I planned to travel from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other Christian landmarks in the Holy Land, the Israeli military denied me entry at a checkpoint. For her, it was a traumatic experience. Since that day, she has been afraid of travelling.”
His niece still lives in Gaza and has lost her home and friends, who were killed in Israeli airstrikes, says Dr Al Khouri, who tries to call his family every day.
The Bethlehem Bible College also seeks to highlight the challenges faced by Palestinian Christians living under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank.
This led to the organisation of the ‘Christ at the Checkpoint’ conference which aims to foster dialogue, particularly with Western Christians, to advocate for justice, peace, and reconciliation. This year, the conference took place for the seventh time.
‘Denying a genocide does not erase its existence’
Bethlehem may have been a silent place this Christmas, but the silence of the city speaks for itself, an attempt to show the world that true Christmas joy is impossible without justice and peace.
“I expect from representatives of Christianity and other religions that they do not remain silent about the suffering in Gaza,” Dr Al Khouri said.
“Choosing the right words is crucial, especially in times like this. By right words, I mean calling things by their name. If it is a genocide that is taking place in Gaza, as many international groups and human rights organisations claim, then we must speak about it clearly and honestly. Denying a genocide does not erase its existence,” he added.
Elias Feroz studied Islamic religion and history as part of his teacher training programme at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. Elias also works as a freelance writer and focuses on a variety of topics, including racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, the politics of history, and the culture of remembrance
Follow him on X: @FerozElias
