Bethlehem’s Christmas tree lights up after two years of darkness

Bethlehem, occupied West Bank – For the archetypal clip successful 2 years, the Christmas histrion successful Bethlehem lit up the nighttime sky, restoring a glimmer of joyousness to the birthplace of Jesus aft seasons overshadowed by Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza.

Palestinians watching the lighting said the solemnisation carried a dual meaning: Hope successful the Nativity and a yearning for state from the Israeli siege gripping Bethlehem and cities crossed the occupied territory.

At the aforesaid time, residents accidental the celebrations stay dimmed by the grief implicit wide casualties and demolition successful Gaza and Bethlehem’s economical paralysis nether tightening Israeli harassment.

This year’s celebrations were constricted to spiritual rituals, attended by religion leaders and section officials who stood connected a signifier successful Manger Square for a humble tree-lighting ceremony.

Thousands gathered successful the square, singing hymns and listening to choirs carolling – the lone signifier of festivity permitted astatine a clip galore described arsenic a premix of joyousness and mourning.

“The celebrations this twelvemonth are dissimilar immoderate before,” Reverend Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church, told Al Jazeera.

“Bethlehem is beautifully decorated, and the histrion is lit, but determination is heavy sorrow wrong each Palestinian.

“Through these celebrations, Palestinians nonstop a connection of resilience – to accidental we are inactive here, determined to live, to support Bethlehem the superior of Christmas, and to proceed telling its story. Palestinians emotion life.”

Bethlehem’s Mayor Maher N Canawati echoed the message, saying the municipality chose to reconstruct the city’s Christmas lights aft “a agelong play of acheronian and silence”.

“We wanted to revive anticipation for the radical of Bethlehem and each Palestinians, and to nonstop that anticipation to Gaza and to the world,” helium told Al Jazeera.

Canawati stressed that Bethlehem “is unfastened and safe”, saying it is clip for the satellite to enactment Palestinians’ steadfastness.

“As Bethlehem lights its Christmas tree, it … tells america that anticipation is simply a strength. But, helium added, “The suffering and demolition successful Gaza stay successful our hearts. People retrieve the glimmer of airy adjacent amid devastation.”

The politician besides shared a connection sent to Bethlehem by Pope Leo XIV, saying the pontiff assured residents helium “carries Bethlehem successful his bosom and prayers and is moving for an extremity to Palestinian suffering”, urging radical successful Gaza “not to springiness successful to despair”.

Canawati called connected pilgrims worldwide to sojourn Bethlehem, saying tourism is an enactment of solidarity with Palestinians “who are weary of warfare but person not grown weary of hope”.

Bethlehem’s Mayor Maher N Canawati greets visitors [Monjed Jadou/Al Jazeera]

Economic hardship nether siege

Bethlehem’s Christmas tone comes contempt severe economical decline linked to Israeli closures and the illness of tourism, the superior operator of the section economy.

Shopkeepers and artisans told Al Jazeera that hope, alternatively than income, has kept the metropolis standing. Adrian Habibeh, a young artisan moving successful his family’s olivewood store wherever hand-carvings are sold to spiritual devotees and tourists, said tourism has been “nearly frozen for much than 2 years”.

“This year’s Christmas celebrations are not similar before,” helium said. “But we anticipation this volition beryllium a twelvemonth of joyousness – and that tourism volition return. It’s captious for our economy.”

Residents from crossed the West Bank and Palestinian communities wrong Israel travelled to Bethlehem contempt checkpoints and roadworthy restrictions.

Yara Khalil, who came with her household from Ramallah, said she felt some joyousness and unease. “Gaza is suffering terribly from the war, and that symptom is wrong us,” she said.

“But Bethlehem, which had nary celebrations for 2 years, looks beauteous contempt everything.”

A manus carver works connected olivewood successful Bethlehem amid a prolonged diminution successful tourism [Monjed Jadou/Al Jazeera]

She added that she expected the travel to beryllium difficult, “but people’s excitement and determination to observe pushed america to come”.

The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce organised autobus trips for Palestinians from cities wrong Israel to promote section tourism.

Samir Hazboun, caput of the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce, told Al Jazeera that the archetypal groups began arriving connected Saturday.

“The 2nd question of section pilgrims and visitors from Palestinians who unrecorded successful Israel is expected aft December 20,” helium said. “We expect astir 3,000 visitors a time until year-end, which volition summation edifice occupancy – presently astatine conscionable 20 percent among overseas tourists.”

Rula Qabti, who arrived from Nazareth, said she travelled agelong distances and crossed aggregate checkpoints to articulation the celebration. “We anticipation for amended days soon – to observe without fearfulness oregon barriers, and to scope Bethlehem easily,” she said.