Canceled festivities, absent tree and atmosphere of sadness - Bethlehem faces a different Christmas amid conflict

Bethlehem, the city considered the cradle of Jesus' birth, is experiencing a different Christmas this year, marking a sudden break in festive traditions. Festivities have been canceled, and the usually crowded streets of Church Square are now deserted. The thousands of tourists and pilgrims who would have filled the city at this time have been replaced by an atmosphere of sadness and war.

Madeleine, a Bethlehem resident, says: "The town is empty of happiness, joy, children and Santa Claus. There is no celebration this year." In place of the famous Christmas tree that would have glowed in the middle of the square, a small monument depicting the scene of Jesus' birth has been installed, surrounded by stones and barbed wire, as a tribute to the children of Gaza, reports the BBC.

In an empty church in Bethlehem, priest Eissa Thaldjiya says the city looks like a shadow of its former self. "I was a priest in this church for 12 years. I was born in Bethlehem and I've never seen it like this. Not even during the Covid-19 pandemic. We have brothers and sisters in Gaza, and that makes it difficult to celebrate. But it's good that we are united in prayer."

The Roman Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, arrived in Bethlehem for his traditional Christmas address, but before entering the church he said that "this is a very sad Christmas." He underlined the gravity of the situation, saying the city was in the midst of a terrible war, with thoughts especially for Gazans. "Two million people are suffering," he added, stressing that a truce was not enough. "We must stop these hostilities and turn the page, because violence can only breed violence."

In the absence of carols and Christmas market stalls, Bethlehem is experiencing a Christmas marked by grief and solidarity, at a time when peace seems a precious and necessary gift for the war-affected community.