Like every year, the famous Christmas tree was supposed to adorn the middle of the Manger Square in Bethlehem today. But this time, it was missing. Christmas celebrations have been cancelled with thousands of tourists and pilgrims who would normally fill Manger Square nowhere to be found.
Instead, a new mural stands to reflect the feelings of Palestinians suffering every day, everywhere. This year, the Holy Family Cave shows a bombed-out version of the native cave where Jesus is said to be born. It draws a parallel between Christ’s journey from an oppressive regime in Egypt to Nazareth and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Surrounded by rubble and barbed wire, the Virgin Mary embraces the baby Jesus, while Joseph embraces her, offering solace. On one side of the family, the Magi holds out a white shroud. On the other side, the fourth shepherd carries a bag, a symbol of Palestinian displacement, as described in a report by Al Jazeera.
A banner nearby read, “Bethlehem’s Christmas bells ring for a cease-fire in Gaza.”
“Christmas approaches this year, and we find ourselves living in the most challenging and difficult circumstances, a result of what our people in the besieged Gaza Strip and in all cities, villages, and camps of the West Bank and Jerusalem are enduring due to the Israeli continuous aggression against our people,” said Rula Maayaa, the Palestinian Authority’s minister of tourism and antiquities.
As locals gathered around the structure, the church bell rang and Arabic songs played out on the speakers, one calling for peace for children. Dozens of Palestinian security forces patrolled the empty square.
The cancellation of Christmas festivities was a severe blow to the town’s economy. Tourism accounts for an estimated 70% of Bethlehem’s income — almost all of that during the Christmas season.
With many major airlines cancelling flights to Israel, few foreigners are visiting. Local officials say over 70 hotels in Bethlehem were forced to close, leaving thousands of people unemployed.
An organist with the Church of the Nativity choir, Shukry Mubarak, said the group changed much of the traditional Christmas musical repertoire from joyful holiday songs to more solemn hymns in minor keys.
“Our message every year on Christmas is one of peace and love, but this year it’s a message of sadness, grief and anger in front of the international community with what is happening and going on in the Gaza Strip,” Bethlehem’s mayor, Hana Haniyeh, said in an address to the crowd.
