Bethlehem has held its first Christmas celebrations in two years.
The West Bank city, revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus, had refrained from publicly celebrating Christmas because of the war in Gaza.
Coloured lights sparkled on the large fir tree in Manger Square in front of the sixth-century Church of the Nativity. A scattering of foreign tourists joined hundreds of Palestinian Christians and Muslims who travelled from the occupied West Bank and Israel to attend the weekend ceremonies, which featured prayers and carols.
Palestinian suffering in Gaza and the occupied West Bank confined the focus to the religious significance of Christmas instead of a more celebratory atmosphere. Celebrations had been cancelled until a ceasefire was declared in Israel’s two-year Gaza war in which more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed.
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Pope Leo XIV sent a message saying he “carries Bethlehem in his heart and prayers and is working for an end to Palestinian suffering”. He called on Palestinians in Gaza “not to give in to despair”.
Midnight Mass on December 24th has normally been well attended at Catholic St Catherine’s church in Bethlehem while the Orthodox Church of the Nativity holds Mass overnight on January 6th-7th.
The suspension of popular Christmas celebrations delivered a major blow to Bethlehem’s economy. Unemployment grew from 14 per cent to 65 per cent, mayor Maher Nicola Canawati said. Poverty increased and about 4,000 people left to find work, he added.
A recent United Nations report said the West Bank has been experiencing its most severe economic downturn on record due to Israeli military operations.
[ Palestinian economy suffers collapse after Israel-Hamas conflict, UN saysOpens in new window ]
Bethlehem depends on pilgrim visits, particularly during the Christmas surge that normally fills the town’s hotels with seasonal guests and delivers busloads of about 3,000 daily visitors.
Artisans who produce mother-of-pearl and olive wood artefacts, shops selling these and other local items, and cafes and restaurants expect their business to pick up after December 20th.
There are 45,000-50,000 Christians in the occupied West Bank, who make up about 2 per cent of the population. There are 1,000 Christians – less than 1 per cent of the population – in Gaza. West Bank and Gazan Christians are required to obtain Israeli permits to enter both Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
Israel has built a 2.4m wall and compels visitors to pass through checkpoints and gates to reach Bethlehem. The wall isolates the hill town from Jerusalem, making the journey between them last an hour or more instead of 15-20 minutes.
While emigration of Palestinian Christians has been a long-standing trend since early in the 20th century, Israeli military operations, settler violence and economic hardship have resulted in an increase in departures in 2024 and 2025.
Many have relatives in Australia, Latin America and the US who encourage them to leave, depleting the oldest Christian population in the land where Christianity was born.
