Bethlehem's Holiday Tree Lighting Lights Up Once Again Since the Outbreak of the Conflict

Throughout a two-year period amid the Gaza war, all public celebrations marking the holiday season were cancelled within the city of Bethlehem located in the West Bank. This place is believed to be where the faithful hold Jesus was born.

But, following the recent ceasefire, the holy city decided that now the festivities would make a comeback, as represented by the lighting of its traditional, large holiday tree in front of the ancient Church of the Nativity.

"We have endured two difficult years without celebration; no holiday, no employment, no income," remarks the city's mayor Maher Canawati. "Our community survives on tourism and the tourist trade had fallen to zero."

The mayor accepts that the idea to restart festivities faced some debate, given the ongoing hardship within Gaza – including for members of the small Christian population, who often have family ties in Bethlehem.

"Some may say it's not appropriate while others contend it is fitting," Mr Canawati explains. "However, in my heart, I felt this constituted the correct action to take because the Christmas season should never be halted or abandoned. This is a beacon of hope for our community."

A Spark of Celebration Reappears

Residents – from both Christian and Muslim faiths – take photographs before the tree hung with gold and red ornaments in Manger Square. They are joined by a small number of international visitors.

Vibrant lights now decorate city streets and there are signs advertising Christmas bazaars and children's parties.

"We are delighted to see the tree, first of all, and to see foreigners in Bethlehem and to be able to observe the holiday in its true spirit," comments local jewellery designer Nadya Hazboun.

"This is where it all started, so this is where we can convey a message globally of what Christmas truly represents. And this year, if the season is calm, then I hope it will bring a positive message for the entire world."

Economic Hopes and Challenges

Nearby towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour are also planning to illuminate holiday trees soon. Local hotels – which have remained mostly vacant for the past two years – have an influx in reservations from Palestinian citizens of Israel along with certain international tourists.

A visitor from Russia, Angelica, is on her second pilgrimage to the Holy Land. "I think everyone needs to come at minimum one time during their lifetime," she says.

"I wish a lot of people will return soon as it is sorrowful with few tourists. The sole aspect that's good is that you don't have long lines – one can visit and see more things. On my prior visit you had to wait in line for hours minimum."

Currently, the souvenir stores dotted around Bethlehem have little business, and near the cream-coloured walls of the Nativity Church, which date back to the Fourth Century, guides are mostly unoccupied. Prior to the Gaza war, it was typically packed with people.

"Bethlehem is a city for tourists; without tourism there is no life," expresses a guide named Hamza. "We hope to have people returning like before: from Europe, the Middle Eastern region, America, Latin America and all over. We start with lighting the tree, and then we will wait."

The Persistent Economic Toll

In the past two years, joblessness has soared in Bethlehem. Since the lethal attacks led by Hamas in southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war, tens of thousands of Palestinian labourers from the West Bank region have been blocked from entering Israel and Israeli settlements to work.

At the same time, government employees have received only partial salaries by the Palestinian Authority (PA) – that administers parts of the West Bank. The PA depends on tax income collected by Israel, which it is withholding – amounting to $1.76 billion, according to a UN agency.

Israeli officials state they are retaining these funds because the Authority provides financial payments to Palestinian prisoners that encourage attacks on Israelis. The authority – facing global pressure to make reforms – says it has lately modified its social welfare system.

A Modest Christmas Season

The grim economic situation implies that for many Christian Palestinians, despite the fact that there are now public festivities as well as religious ceremonies, it will constitute a subdued holiday season.

On the periphery of the square, a few customers wait to buy hot balls of falafel from several shops.

"We're preparing for the holiday following one of our most challenging times as a Palestinian people and as Christians," says one restaurant owner, who runs a restaurant called Afteem, a decades-old family-run eatery that has witnessed its income plummet. He notes lately numerous families could not even afford falafel – a cheap, traditional snack.

"Christians will try to mark the occasion but based on their circumstances," Mr Salameh expects. "An individual wishing to bring their children to a festive event or the theatre or whatever, he doesn't have the money to expend for this celebration."

Prayers for Peace and Prosperity

In the cave-like grotto at the base of the Nativity Church, a local woman follows a tour group from India, bending down by a silver star that indicates the location where it is said that Jesus was born and igniting a candle nearby.

Amid ongoing high tensions across the region, people in Bethlehem state they are praying for tranquility – and hoping for visitors to return to the place where it is believed where Christmas started.