"Thousands of people have gathered in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve for the first public celebrations since 2022 after the city cancelled or muted festivities for two years out of respect for the thousands killed during Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. Families filled Manger Square in the occupied West Bank city as a giant Christmas tree returned to the plaza, replacing a nativity display used during the war that showed baby Jesus amid rubble and barbed wire, symbolising the devastation in Gaza."
"Scout bands from towns across the West Bank marched through Bethlehem's streets, their bagpipes draped with tartan and Palestinian flags. Since the start of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, its forces have carried out near-daily raids across the West Bank, arresting thousands of Palestinians and sharply restricting movement between cities. Palestinians say the intensified military presence, road closures and checkpoint delays have deterred visitors, paralysing the tourism sector on which Bethlehem's economy depends."
Thousands gathered in Manger Square on Christmas Eve for the first public celebrations since 2022. Families filled the square as a giant Christmas tree replaced a wartime nativity display that showed baby Jesus amid rubble and barbed wire, symbolising devastation in Gaza. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa led the traditional procession from Jerusalem and called for a Christmas full of light. Scout bands marched through Bethlehem with bagpipes draped in tartan and Palestinian flags. Near-daily West Bank raids, arrests and movement restrictions since the start of the Israel–Gaza war have deterred visitors and paralysed Bethlehem's tourism-dependent economy, raising unemployment from 14% to 65% and prompting about 4,000 residents to leave in search of work. Celebrants were predominantly local, with few foreign visitors.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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