Sombre Christmas in Bethlehem amid Israeli killings of Palestinians

With no Christmas tree or decorations adorning the Church of the Nativity, revered as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, holiday cheer was absent in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem on Tuesday.

In central Bethlehem, the Terra Sancta Scout Troop, donning red scarves, marched down the main shopping street where vendors were selling nougat and shawarma.

The sweet sound of children singing Christmas carols filled the air, a sharp contrast to sombre messages on the banners they held: “We want life, not death”, and “Stop the Gaza genocide now!”

For the second year in a row, Christmas festivities in Bethlehem are overshadowed by the war.

A large Christmas tree usually stands in Manger Square, opposite the Church of the Nativity which is built atop a cave where Christians believe Jesus was born more than 2,000 years ago.

But like last year, Bethlehem’s municipality had decided to opt for modest celebrations out of respect for Palestinians suffering in Gaza.

For Christians in the Holy Land, who number about 185,000 in Israel and 47,000 in the Palestinian territory, prayer can offer solace and hope for a better future.

“We’re going to pray and ask God to end our suffering, to give this part of the world the peace that we expect, the peace that Jesus brought to the world,” said Anton Salman, the mayor of Bethlehem.

Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem who led mass in Gaza on Sunday, shared a similar message of hope as he prepared to preside over midnight mass in Bethlehem.

“I just arrived yesterday from Gaza. I saw everything destroyed, poverty, disaster,” he said.

“But I also saw life – they don’t give up. So you should not give up either. Never,” Pizzaballa added in a speech outside the Bethlehem Peace Center, a cultural venue.

“We are stronger, we belong to light, not to darkness,” he said, standing beside a Palestinian flag. “Next year, we want to see the biggest Christmas tree ever.”