For the second year in a row, there is no Christmas joy in Bethlehem, with tourists avoiding the Palestinian city and many residents looking for a way out as Israel continues to destroy the Gaza Strip and its population.
Bethlehem’s Manger Square, in front of the Church of the Nativity, is practically deserted and the souvenir shops are closed.
Once again, there are no plans to set up the traditional Christmas tree decorated with lights in the ancient settlement that is revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus and which is now in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
“During these difficult times that our Palestinian cities are going through, especially in the Gaza Strip, it is difficult to show any signs of joy and happiness,” said Issa Thaljieh, an Orthodox priest who ministers at the Church of the Nativity.
Adding to the gloom, many local Christian families are also seeking to flee, demoralized both by the drop in tourism that has devastated their economy and the constant threat of violence that hangs over the territory northeast of Gaza.
“Emigration out of Belém is increasing daily and monthly, and this has a negative impact on the city,” said Thaljieh.
To make matters worse, an Israeli operation in Jenin, the third largest city in the West Bank, left four dead this Sunday (1st), according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Christian communities have been in decline across the Middle East for generations, and the West Bank is no exception.
In the last year of British rule over the region, in 1947, around 85% of the population of Belém was Christian. In a 2017 census, the overall population of Bethlehem was 215,514 people, with just 23,000 Christians among them, or just over 10% of the total.
Locals say the rate of departure has been gaining momentum in recent months in the birthplace of Christianity, with the city’s economic lifeblood no longer flowing and the Israeli occupation impeding freedom of movement in the territory.
Bethlehem resident Alaa Afteem, who runs a falafel restaurant, said one of his cousins had recently moved to Australia.
“Due to poor living conditions and poor financial conditions, people started looking for better opportunities for their children, for better education, for a better future,” he told Reuters.
“There is no security”
Since the 1967 war between Israel and neighboring Arab countries, Israel has occupied the West Bank, which Palestinians want to be the nucleus of a future independent state.
Israel has built Jewish settlements, considered illegal by most countries, throughout Palestinian territory. Several Israeli officials live in settlements and favor the continued seizure of Palestinian territory.
Violence has increased across the mountainous region since Israel’s war against the Gaza Strip began in October last year.
Hundreds of Palestinians – including armed fighters, stone-throwing youths and civilian bystanders – have died in clashes with Israeli soldiers.
Difficult at the best of times, traveling between West Bank cities has become increasingly complicated.
“There is no security if you are moving between districts in the West Bank, such as between Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jericho and Hebron,” Afteem said.
Munther Isaac, pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, says local Muslim families are also emigrating, pressured by financial problems and broader concerns about the future.
“There is fear that this war could extend to areas of the West Bank, especially after the arming of settlers and the announcement of the possible annexation of the West Bank,” he said.
The West Bank has been transformed by the rapid growth of Jewish settlements over the past two years, with violent settlers in occupied Palestinian territory pushing for the imposition of Israeli sovereignty in the area.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on X in October that since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza, more than 120,000 firearms have been distributed to Israeli settlers to protect land taken from the Palestinians.
In Isaac’s Church, the nativity scene has an image of the baby Jesus lying in a pile of rubble. “We feel like this war will never end,” he said.
This content was originally published in Christians abandon the West Bank in a new dark Christmas in Belém on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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