Current:Home > InvestBethlehem experiencing a less festive Christmas amid Israel-Hamas war-InfoLens
Bethlehem experiencing a less festive Christmas amid Israel-Hamas war
View Date:2024-12-23 15:45:37
Christmas will look different in the Middle East this year as Israel's war against Hamas rages on.
The conflict, which began over 11 weeks ago and has left more than 20,000 Palestinians dead in Gaza, has caused the town of Bethlehem, the globally revered birthplace of Jesus located in the occupied West Bank, to witness a Christmas unlike those in the past.
Meanwhile, many local shops have closed their doors since the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas. The subsequent Israeli ground offensive has also severely impacted tourism in the Holy Land.
Traditionally, this historic town is a focal point of worldwide Christmas celebrations, bustling with vibrant decorations, Christmas trees, Santa Claus appearances and joyful carolers.
This year, many residents are choosing to forgo festivities altogether as a message of solidarity to Palestinians in Gaza. The town is eerily quiet, and the usually crowded Church of the Nativity now sees empty pews.
At the Evangelical Lutheran Church, they've fashioned a nativity scene out of what can be found almost everywhere in Gaza: Rubble, according to Pastor Munther Isaac.
"We've seen so many images of children being pulled out of the rubble. And to us, this is a message that Jesus identifies with our suffering," Isaac said.
Palestinian Christians make up the world's oldest community of believers, but their numbers are shrinking. In the West Bank, only 2% of Palestinians are Christians today. In Gaza, it's less than 1%, with the vast majority believed to be left homeless by the war.
Mirna Alatrash, a Christian from Bethlehem, fears her community is facing extinction while the world looks away.
"They forgot about the Palestinian case," she said. "It's really forgotten by the Christians all over the world."
Father Sandro Tomasevic serves at the Church of the Nativity and said the Christian community desires peace amid the conflict.
"It's a big struggle, of course, because the Christians here are in the middle," he said. "You know, they always want peace. They don't want conflict. They don't want war. They just want everybody just to sit down, talk about peace. Let's pray together."
Chris LivesayChris Livesay is a CBS News foreign correspondent based in Rome.
TwitterveryGood! (1222)
Related
- Disease could kill most of the ‘ohi‘a forests on Hawaii’s Big Island within 20 years
- Justices who split on an abortion measure ruling vie to lead Arkansas Supreme Court
- Fantasy football Week 10: Trade value chart and rest of season rankings
- 10 teams to watch as MLB rumors swirl with GM meetings, free agency getting underway
- Blake Shelton Announces New Singing Competition Show After Leaving The Voice
- Republican Mike Kehoe faces Democrat Crystal Quade for Missouri governor
- Jonathan Haze, who played Seymour in 'The Little Shop of Horrors,' dies at 95: Reports
- Democrats defend Michigan’s open Senate seat, a rare opportunity for Republicans
- Olivia Culpo Celebrates Christian McCaffrey's NFL Comeback Alongside Mother-in-Law
- Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 10
Ranking
- Taylor Swift Becomes Auntie Tay In Sweet Photo With Fellow Chiefs WAG Chariah Gordon's Daughter
- Za'Darius Smith trade grades: Who won deal between Lions, Browns?
- Sara Foster Confirms Breakup From Tommy Haas, Shares Personal Update Amid Separation
- Ariana Grande Responds to Fan Criticism Over Her Wicked Casting
- Man is 'not dead anymore' after long battle with IRS, which mistakenly labeled him deceased
- GOP Rep. Andy Ogles faces a Tennessee reelection test as the FBI probes his campaign finances
- Texas border districts are again in the thick of the fight for House control
- West Virginians’ governor choices stand on opposite sides of the abortion debate
Recommendation
-
Stop smartphone distractions by creating a focus mode: Video tutorial
-
Barry Keoghan Slams Accusations He's a Deadbeat Dad to 2-Year-Old Son Brando
-
US Rep. John Curtis is favored to win Mitt Romney’s open Senate seat in Utah
-
3-term Democratic lawmaker tries to hold key US Senate seat in GOP-friendly Montana
-
US Open finalist Taylor Fritz talks League of Legends, why he hated tennis and how he copied Sampras
-
GOP tries to break Connecticut Democrats’ winning streak in US House races
-
The top US House races in Oregon garnering national attention
-
Marshon Lattimore trade grades: Did Commanders or Saints win deal for CB?