Palestinian ‘Santas’ barred from J’lem for Christmas

By Mustafa Deveci

JERUSALEM (AA) - Palestinian Christians dressed up as Santa Claus for Christmas have been forbidden by Israel to enter Jerusalem, one of the world’s holiest sites for Christians, as Jesus is believed to have lived and preached there.

In general, Palestinian Christians from the West Bank -- like their Muslim counterparts -- can’t enter Jerusalem without special permission from the Israeli authorities.

Many now live in isolated communities that have been cut off from each other by Israel’s “separation barrier”, which snakes through the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

On Monday, several Palestinian "Santa Clauses" celebrated Christmas in the city of Bethlehem, located roughly 10 kilometers south of Jerusalem and considered Jesus’s historical birthplace.

Some of them carried banners, reading, "We want a free Palestine for Christmas" and "We want a Palestine without Jewish settlements".

Palestinian officials in Ramallah, meanwhile, say they have allowed 650 Palestinian Christians from the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip to enter the West Bank (which is partially administered by the Palestinian Authority) for Christmas.

According to a report by Palestine’s official statistics agency, more than 46,000 Palestinian Christians live in the West Bank, representing some 2 percent of the total population.

When Palestine was under Ottoman Turkish rule in 1914, this figure stood at more than 10 percent.

About 3,000 Palestinian Christians, meanwhile, are estimated to live in the Gaza Strip.

Following Israel’s creation in 1948, most Palestinian Christians were forced to leave their homes and become refugees.

Currently, an estimated 500,000 Palestinian Christians live in various communities scattered across the globe.

The West Bank and East Jerusalem remain cut off from one another by Israel’s draconian “separation barrier”, construction of which first began in 2002 with the ostensible aim of protecting Israel from Palestinian attacks.

The Israeli army has established checkpoints along the length of the wall, which in some areas reaches up to eight meters in height.

During the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Palestinian women from the West Bank (along with males under 12 or above 40 years old) are allowed to enter Jerusalem -- but only on Fridays.

Late last year, Israeli troops responded with teargas and rubber bullets after Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem staged demonstrations against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara