According to one estimate<\/a>, Bethlehem was losing approximately $2.5 million daily in tourism revenue in mid-2025, and unemployment jumped to 31%. But the Iran war could be the final blow to Bethlehem\u2019s tourism industry \u2014 and to the already-dwindling Christian population as well, locals say. \u00a0<\/p>\nAlmost every tourist hotel, restaurant, and souvenir shop in Bethlehem is closed now, due to the Iran war. \u201cIf the residents who depend on tourism for their livelihood are unemployed, (that) affects everyone else in the community,\u201d said Hazin. \u201cThe truth is that people are only buying the necessities to keep them going as long as possible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Anton Salman, who served as Bethlehem\u2019s mayor from\u00a02017\u00a0to\u00a02022 and 2024\u00a0to\u00a02025,\u00a0said that more than half of\u00a0the area\u2019s 30,000 Christians work in the tourism sector, which has traditionally accounted for 70% of the\u00a0local economy.\u00a0While thousands of tourists visited Bethlehem during the last Christmas season, thanks to the October 2025 Israel-Hamas ceasefire, the Iran war and widespread flight cancellations\u00a0have\u00a0scared away tourists.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since the Oct. 7 attack and Gaza war, Salman said, he has seen many Bethlehem-area residents, both Christian and Muslim, emigrate. \u201cThey left because of a lack of security and a lack of work,\u201d he said. \u201cThey left in search of a better life and better opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Overlooking Bethlehem in the West Bank on May 31, 2018. (RNS photo\/Dan Rabb)<\/p>\n
The trend is hitting the small, close-knit Christian community especially hard, given that it represents just 1% of the West Bank Palestinian population. \u201cWe are fewer in number, so we feel the loss acutely,\u201d Salman said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hazin\u00a0used to employ\u00a0three people.\u00a0Now\u00a0he is down to one employee, whom he pays from his own pocket since his business\u00a0is losing money every month.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The little business he has left is now tied to outbound travel \u2014 mostly Christians in the West Bank seeking a better future in Europe, the U.S., and South America. \u201cThey want to secure a good lifestyle for themselves and their children.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yousef Barakat, director general of the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center, which has a pilgrims hostel, chapel, and visitors center, already instructed his son, who recently completed his university studies in the U.S., to remain there. Barakat now worries there is no future for his children in the volatile Middle East. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery two or three years we have a crisis. I think that even when this war ends, it will be very challenging for Christians to live here,\u201d he said, adding that he may himself emigrate in \u201ca few years.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The lobby of the\u00a0Notre Dame\u00a0center,\u00a0a stately\u00a0edifice,\u00a0is once again empty, reflecting\u00a0the cancellation of every\u00a0Easter-timed reservation.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve\u00a0had to send all the\u00a0employees\u00a0home.\u00a0All we have now is a\u00a0maintenance\u00a0crew,\u201d Barakat said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the meantime, Hazin is urging Christians around the world to support Holy Land Christians so they can remain in Christianity\u2019s oldest community. In addition to\u00a0purchasing\u00a0online\u00a0handicrafts created by artisans\u00a0that are now sitting in shuttered stores and workshops,\u00a0he\u00a0said he\u00a0hopes that Christians abroad will help local people create initiatives, such as small factories,\u00a0to\u00a0help them feed their families.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u00a0are\u00a0not\u00a0asking for charity. We\u00a0are\u00a0asking them to\u00a0protect the Christians who\u00a0remain.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JERUSALEM (RNS) \u2014 Every year before Easter, Elias Hazin\u2019s phone would ring with pilgrims booking trips to visit…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143784,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,42863,456,41079,5061,24324,20743,3766,65748,5144],"class_list":["post-143783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-easter","tag-gaza","tag-iran","tag-israel","tag-jerusalem","tag-middle-east","tag-palestine","tag-pilgrimage","tag-west-bank"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143783\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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