ReutersThe small town of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank has good reason to consider itself the capital of Christmas, but this year it doesn't feel like it.
There are very few visitors at what is usually peak time. There is no usual cheerful street decoration, nor the giant Christmas tree in front of the Church of the Nativity, built on the place where Jesus is believed to have been born.
Public celebrations of Christmas have been canceled for the second year because of the war in Gaza. Palestinian Christians only attend religious ceremonies and family gatherings.
“This should be a time of joy and celebration,” commented the Rev. Dr. Munter Isaac, a local Lutheran pastor. “But Bethlehem is a sad city in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Gaza.”
In his church, the nativity scene shows the baby Jesus lying in a pile of rubble. On the eve of Christmas, the prayer service was dedicated to the catastrophic situation in Gaza.
“It's hard to believe that another Christmas is upon us and the genocide hasn't stopped,” Isaac said in his strongly worded sermon. “The decision-makers are happy to let this go on. For them, the Palestinians are irreplaceable.”
Israel strongly denies allegations of genocide in Gaza, and judges at the UN's top court have yet to rule on a genocide case brought by South Africa.
Many Bethlehem Christians I meet feel despair and doubt at what they see as the failure of other Christian communities around the world to speak out.
The close ties between members of the small Palestinian Christian community mean that many locals have family and friends in Gaza.
“My mother told me that what we see on television does not reflect one percent of what is happening,” said theologian Dr. Youssef Khoury, who is originally from Gaza City.
His parents and sister are among several hundred Christians who have spent much of the past 14 months sheltering in two churches in Gaza.
“They are starving like the entire Gaza Strip. Of course, almost no sleep because of the bombings, because of all the drones flying over their heads and the lack of medical care and services,” he says.
“We have lost friends and relatives.
In Gaza, more than 45,000 people have been killed in the war, which was unleashed in response to Hamas attacks on southern Israel. The figures come from the Hamas-run health ministry, but are considered reliable by the UN and others. In the attack on October 7, 2023. about 1,200 people died – Israelis and some foreigners – and about 250 were taken hostage.
Tensions in the West Bank rose alongside the war. Israel imposed new restrictions on Palestinian movement and revoked tens of thousands of permits for workers who crossed into Jerusalem or Jewish settlements each day.
The economy is in dire straits, especially in Bethlehem, which relies heavily on tourism, which is almost completely at a standstill. The guides stand idly by the Church of the Nativity and feed the pigeons.
“If (there are) tourists, all people will work: hotels, transport, accommodation, all of them,” says one guide, Abdullah. “But (if) there are (no) tourists, there is no life in the city of Bethlehem.”
“I'm broke! No work! We have been staying at home for more than a year,” exclaims Adnan Subah, a souvenir seller on Star Street.
“My son is a tour guide at the church, we stay at home, all my children stay. No work, no business, no tourists.'
Many local Christian and Muslim families have emigrated in the past year. With the constant threat of violence and settlement expansion in lands where the Palestinians have long sought an independent state, fear and uncertainty about the future are increasing.
But one community group in Bethlehem is trying to make a difference: packing food packages for those in need. There is no state aid here, but volunteers collect donations – including from the diaspora.
“As you know, Christmas is the spirit of giving, love and joy. And we hope that with this parcel we can give some hope and joy to the families in our area,” says Wael Shaer, head of the Palestine Lions Club.
I follow Wael as he makes his first delivery to a woman who lives in an apartment nearby. Her husband is sick and out of work. She gratefully opens the box of provisions she's been given and takes out an envelope of money.
She and Vael exchange the usual holiday greetings, wishing each other a peaceful year ahead.
“Mission accomplished!” Wale tells me as we leave.
“Spreading some Christmas cheer.”