JESUS UNDER THE RUBBLE: a Nativity scene in Bethlehem by Munther Isaac / Instagram: @munther.isaac
There will be no celebrations in the birthplace of Christianity out of solidarity with Gaza, and because of increasing violence in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian Christians living in Bethlehem said they will not celebrate Christmas this year because of the genocide in Gaza. Three residents — including the founder of a cultural hiking trail, a chef, and a radio show host — shared their views on the decision, and described life in Bethlehem under occupation.
“Last year and this year, there will be no Christmas in Bethlehem because of Israel’s mass murdering of Palestinian children and people in Gaza,” said George Rishmawi, founder of a long-distance cultural hike called the Palestine Heritage Trail. “There will be no decorations or lights,” he added.
Israel’s genocide in Gaza has already killed at least 43,000 people. The United Nations reported that women and children account for 70% of deaths. The war began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas fighters staged a rare attack from occupied Gaza that killed around 1,200 Israelis.
As usual, Israel’s military response was disproportional. Israel has been accused of genocide, among other war crimes. Those include ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza and deliberate targeting of civilians in schools and hospitals.
Because of the horrific violence in Gaza, another Bethlehem resident said he wouldn’t celebrate Christmas this year.
“As for my family, I can’t imagine celebrating or engaging in any traditions as we typically do while entire families are being obliterated under the rubble,” said George Qanawati, host of one of the main programs at Radio Bethlehem 2000. He said his time in church would be spent praying for an end to the war and the injustice inflicted on Palestine.
Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christianity, is under Israeli occupation. The town is located in the West Bank, where Israeli forces have increased killings and mass arrests since the war began in Gaza. Israeli attacks have killed at least 700 Palestinians, including women and children, and detained over 7,000 Palestinians across the West Bank. Israeli settlers have also ramped up attacks on Palestinians.
Increased Israeli violence in the West Bank causes tourists to avoid Bethlehem, even during the Christmas season. Like many towns in the West Bank, Bethlehem has seen a sharp economic decline over the past year, and local businesses are suffering.
“The reality of Bethlehem is that the economy relies on tourism, and that’s been gone since October 7,” said Fadi Kattan, a Palestinian chef with restaurants in Bethlehem, London, and Toronto. “All the hotels and restaurants are closed. There are no tourists.”
Bethlehem used to welcome up to 150,000 tourists and pilgrims every Christmas season. The town has been a tourist destination “since the three wise men arrived that night, 2024 years ago,” Kattan said. Imagining Bethlehem at Christmas with no visitors is startling. Now the Church of the Nativity is empty, except for the local community, Kattan said.
In addition to the apartheid wall and Israeli-only roads that cut off Bethlehem from the rest of the West Bank, 37 Israeli settlements also surround the town. Settlers are often heavily armed extremists.
Kattan discussed settler violence and how it affects Palestinians in everyday life. For example, in the fall, Palestinians harvest olives. The olive harvest is a very important cultural activity; but this year, the Israeli military and settlers have targeted Palestinians in their fields.
“The olive harvest this year was the most challenging, with ongoing settler violence all over the country,” Kattan said, likening the settlers in black hoods holding clubs to the KKK. “There was a woman killed south of Nablus while picking olives. Why would any human being shoot at a person picking olives?” Kattan asked.
Kattan brought up the Israeli checkpoints and roadblocks, and said that it is just too dangerous to travel in the West Bank. He’d like to travel north to celebrate the olive harvest with friends and bring back olive oil for his restaurant, but feels “like a sitting duck” at the checkpoints. Sometimes dozens of cars are backed up when the Israelis arbitrarily stop letting Palestinian drivers through. If soldiers or settlers attacked, there would be no way to escape.
For Rishmawi, the fact that there is no freedom of movement impacts his dream of hiking historical routes, like the Nativity Trail. The trail follows the journey Jesus’ parents are said to have made over 2,000 years ago to the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus is believed to have been born.
“Mary and Joseph walked from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The wall would change that, and they would never make it through the tens and hundreds of Israeli blockades and checkpoints,” Rishmawi said.
The apartheid wall has also been a barrier to a centuries-old tradition that takes place on Christmas Eve. During the event, the Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem drives to Bethlehem and walks into the town in a procession that mimics the journey it is believed Mary and Joseph took to the Church of the Nativity.
“Since the wall, that’s not happening,” Kattan said. “The Patriarch does come… the wall is 40 feet tall and people can’t cross it, so he goes to Bethlehem, but can’t enter.”
Like Rishmawi and Kattan, Qanawati also said the barriers to travel in the West Bank impacted him in everyday life. Qanawati said he wanted to create content for radio programs in other Palestinian cities, but the occupation prevented the crews from traveling by setting up checkpoints and roadblocks between the cities.
Qanawati’s radio program discusses social and political topics, which is unusual in Palestine, where speaking out against the occupation can get you arrested, or worse.
“Our broadcasting equipment was confiscated multiple times, and we were forced off the air for repeated periods,” Qanawati said. He risks his own safety by speaking out while the rest of the world remains silent on Israel’s crimes. “The voice of truth must remain loud despite all challenges,” he said.
Bethlehem’s local community is made up of Muslims and Christians who have lived together in peace since the birth of Christianity. Both communities are equally oppressed by Israel’s occupation, all three men interviewed said. They are using their unique voices and skills to work towards a better future for Bethlehem. But in response to the Israeli occupation, many families, including Christian families, are emigrating from Bethlehem.
Kattan said the media often portrays the situation as Christians leaving because of Muslims, but in fact it is because of Israel’s occupation. Bethlehem residents are close-knit and not segregated by religion, all three men said.
Kattan said that during Christmas, his mother encouraged him to hand out gifts to kids, and he never knew if they were Christian or Muslim. Qanawati, who is also a Scout leader, said there are Scout groups with both Christian and Muslim children. Rishmawi talked about three different sects within Christianity living together as neighbors in Bethlehem.
The three men said they hoped for the genocide to end in Gaza, and for all Palestinians to be able to live freely.
“Across the street from me is where the angels appeared to the shepherds, and they were singing the message of peace,” Rishmawi said. “The Christmas message is always peace.”
Sources:
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/un-special-committee-press-release-19nov24/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_genocide_accusation
https://imeu.org/article/israels-west-bank-wall
https://acleddata.com/2024/06/10/civilians-or-soldiers-settler-violence-in-the-west-bank/
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/ohchr-press-release-18oct24/
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/5141/2022/en/
https://imemc.org/article/66393/
https://www.twn.my/title2/resurgence/2019/341-342/human1.htm
Renee Lewis has reported from the occupied West Bank, from Doha, and from and New York City for Al Jazeera.
