The light of Christmas returns to the place where he was born Jesus. After two years of blackout due to the war in Gaza, which exceeds 70,000 deaths, and the escalation of violence by extremist settlers in West Bank … with more than a thousand dead, a large Christmas tree lights up again at Place de la Manger.
The mayor of Bethlehem, Maher Canawatitold the media that they had decided to restore the city’s lights after “a long period of darkness and silence.” The mayor recalled that “these were two bad years of silence; no Christmas, no work, no work. “Here we all live from tourism and tourism has fallen to zero.” The Bethlehem community is hoping for a miracle in the form of visits that will save Christmas.
In Bethlehem, they await the return of tourists and pilgrims and the local Chamber of Commerce organized bus trips for Palestinians from cities across Israel to encourage local tourism. For Palestinians in the West Bank, the journey is still complicated by the number of checkpoints and the Loop They are not expected because Israel will not grant exit permits.
THE Tourism revenues accounted for 80 percent of economic activity. But, since October 7, 2023, the date of Hamas’ attack on neighboring communities in the Gaza Strip, they have hit rock bottom. Hotels and restaurants have closed their doors, the long lines of worshipers waiting to pray in the Church of the Nativity have disappeared and olive wood figures carved by the artisans of the old town are piling up on the shelves. Everyone misses years like 2019, when the city welcomed 3.5 million visitors.
“This year’s celebration is an act of resilience and defiance. We know that in Gaza the war and the deaths are not over and that throughout the West Bank we are subject to severe restrictions on movement. For all this, the celebration is a message to tell the world that we are still here, that we love life after two very difficult years,” explains the Lutheran pastor. Munther Isaacnatural Beit Sahoursouth of Bethlehem.
Restored basilica
Besides the tree, another of the attractions offered by this biblical city is Estrella Street, which, together with the Basilica of the Nativity, is part of the complex declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. This street has been restored for the third time in twenty years and hosts a Christmas market.
“It’s been two years of silence. No Christmas, no work. “Here, we all live from tourism and it has fallen to zero.”
Maher Canawati
Mayor of Bethlehem
Whoever decides to travel to Bethlehem will find a basilica free of exterior and interior scaffolding after nearly a decade of intense restoration work. The temple, which dates back to 4th century AD and which was built by order of the Roman emperor Constantine Ihouses within it the cave in which, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was born. A magical place marked by a star that previously required hours of waiting to access.
From the municipality, they send a message of hope and recall that “despite the pain and the open wound in Gaza, and the crises that the world is going through, Bethlehem remains a light to remind us that love is stronger than all darkness, and that message of peace “what came from this earth is still alive in hearts.” A message silenced by the brutality of an occupation that is suffocating Palestinians in the West Bank.
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