There won’t be Christmas tree in Bethlehem this year as the place where Jesus was born will celebrate Christmas this year “discreetly and without many lights” in its shadow war in Gaza.
In Bethlehemwhich adjoins Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, pthey are all those residents who have been heavily affected by the war in the Gaza Strip, which is 50 km away.
In the first days of December, church leaders meet every year in Bethlehem to declare the beginning of the forty days before Christmas, which usually attracts many tourists.
But this year the streets and squares in this city built on a hill are almost empty.
“We have never seen Bethlehem like this, not even during the pandemic. The city is empty, it’s sadFather Ibrahim Faltas, a Franciscan monk, told Reuters in front of the Church of the Nativity.
“Today should be a day of joy,” he adds.
The Palestinians are hurting for the “many children, women, old people, people who were martyred in this crazy war”, he comments.
A statement issued Nov. 10 by church leaders in the Holy Land expressed sympathy for people grieving over the “uncertain fate of their loved ones” — a possible reference to the families and friends of the hostages taken by Hamas.
Source: News Beast
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