Bethlehem to light Christmas tree for first time in two years
It’s raining but people are gathering. This is the first time that Bethlehem will see the Christmas tree light up in two years.
The Christmas season in Palestine lasts from the beginning of December until about the 19th of January because all of the denominations celebrate Christmas in the Nativity Church.
Right now, a lot of hope is being attached to this Christmas season because Bethlehem really needs a boost in order to survive. The past two years of war on Gaza have brought the economy to its knees.
Bethlehem is a walled-off city. Israel’s wall and illegal settlements surround it from every direction. There are dozens of gates that also cut off the city from its surroundings in the occupied West Bank and the rest of the world.
So coming here needs determination; it is not a simple trip. To go through all of those Israeli restrictions, you need to have conviction. People are hoping to convince the world that it’s time to come back to Bethlehem.
Police check Christmas decorations before a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Bethlehem on Saturday
Yet the Christian support for Israel continues unabated. I thought the birthplace of Jesus would have more significance in Christianity.
And it's not just since Oct 7, this is from a year before the current genocide and escalation in the West Bank:
https://embraceme.org/blog/christmas-in-bethlehem
Bethlehem is in the West Bank, in the Occupied Territories. When you visit Bethlehem, it’s so hard to miss the occupation, because the Israeli occupation of our land literally controls every aspect of our lives. The small district of Bethlehem is surrounded today by 22 illegal Israeli settlements and the wall that separates us from Jerusalem.
Israel controls everything outside the city. Our experience is like living in ‘gated communities’ because literally all it takes for Israel is to close these check points to enter and exit our cities and we’re besieged. That’s not hypothetical. It happens a lot.
And it goes way beyond that. Israel controls the air, the phone waves, the underground (we cannot dig for water) exports and imports, the economy. Right now, they are making it difficult for visitors who wish to stay longer than a few days in Bethlehem, and thousands of Palestinians, including Palestinian Christians are not able to obtain a visa to live in Bethlehem with their spouse and as a result, choose to live outside. It’s a very cruel system. It’s another way of forcing the emigration of Palestinian families.
Unemployment is very high. The economy of Bethlehem relies almost entirely on tourism. We’ve had a devastating two years because of covid. We’re grateful that tourists, pilgrims, are beginning to come back. We pray they choose to stay longer in Bethlehem and not just visit for a day.
Well that didn't happen.
