Bethlehem cancels Christmas celebrations in protest of Israel's Gaza attacks

By Awad Rjoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – For a second year in a row, Christmas celebrations in the West Bank town of Bethlehem remain muted in solidarity with Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 45,000 people since October 2023.

The Bethlehem municipality announced on Saturday that celebrations will be limited to religious rituals.

Bethlehem mayor Anton Salman told a press conference that “the municipality has decided to limit this year's Christmas celebrations to prayers and religious rituals, as an affirmation of our rejection of the (Israeli) oppression against Gaza and all of Palestine.”

Salman condemned "the ongoing aggression on Gaza" and criticized "the international community's silence in the face of Israeli massacres."

He called for "serious and immediate intervention to put an end to Israeli violations."

The mayor said Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, has been suffering from Israeli restrictions and measures that have isolated it from its Palestinian surroundings since Oct. 7, 2023.

He explained that "since the start of the Gaza aggression, the city has witnessed a halt in tourism, closure of its doors to pilgrims, drying up of resources, and the spread of Israeli checkpoints at its entrances, intensifying restrictions on movement to and from the city."

Salman said the restrictions have exacerbated the economic crisis and the suffering of residents, increasing their sense of isolation.

Christmas celebrations for Christian denominations following the Western calendar reach their peak with Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity on Dec. 24, while Eastern denominations celebrate on Jan. 7.

Prayers are held in the church, which Christians believe was built on a cave where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala