In Bethlehem, Christmas has been cancelled. Palestinians in the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ have decided to forsake Christmas celebrations this year in solidarity with Gazans as the Israel-Hamas conflict grinds on for weeks. According to The Free Press, there will be no public celebrations, Christmas lights, or the famed decorated tree in Manger Square this year in Bethlehem. A manger scene will remain in the sanctuary of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem. It will, however, feature a swaddled doll lying among the shattered remains and debris of a demolished building, rather than the conventional newborn Jesus surrounded by adoring parents, shepherds, wise men, angels, and animals.
This is the first time in the residents’ memories that the Nativity Square won’t have any Christmas tree
“If Jesus were born today, he would be born in Gaza under the rubble,” said Pastor Munther Isaac of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Munther, as per Reuters, said there would be no Christmas celebrations as long as Israel’s bombardment of Gaza continues. As per the report, the pastor has even replaced the traditional wooden crib with rubble in the grotto, set up a few weeks before the Christian celebration on December 25 of the birth of Christ. “We see the picture of Jesus in every child under the rubble in Gaza, so this is a letter of solidarity with our people in Gaza and an expression of the meaning of Christmas, God is with the suffering and the oppressed,” he added.
The city will hold pared-down celebrations “without the fanfare and too many lights”. As per Reuters, this is the first time in the residents’ memories that the Nativity Square won’t have any Christmas tree. “We will celebrate in sobriety, that means without the fanfare and without too many lights, in the most spiritual way and more in the families than in the square,” said Father Francesco Patton, custodian of the Holy Land.