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DAOUD KUTTAB says, in an article first published on Religion News Service, that Christmas here is not escapism, it is defiance\u2026<\/p>\n
Via RNS<\/a><\/p>\n After two somber and muted Christmas seasons, the city where Christ was born is preparing to celebrate again. The Palestinian town of Bethlehem, a symbol of hope for Christians worldwide, will light its Christmas tree in Manger Square on Saturday, signalling not only the start of the holiday season but the resilience of a people determined to reclaim joy after years of grief.<\/p>\n The ceasefire in Gaza, brokered by the United States in October, has not halted Israeli attacks on Palestinians, nor has it eased the suffering in Gaza or the West Bank. Yet Bethlehem is choosing to celebrate. According to centuries-old protocols observed by Holy Land religious communities, the city will host three Christmas observances: 25th December for Western churches, 7th January for the Orthodox Christians and 18th January for Armenian Christians. Scouts will march, choirs will sing and midnight Masses will once again fill the Church of the Nativity.<\/p>\n Bethlehem\u2019s decision has encouraged other Palestinian towns to join in. From Beit Jala and Ramallah to Nablus and Zababdeh, streets and churches are being decorated in a collective attempt to invite spiritual reflection and restore the bonds of the community.<\/p>\n \u201cBethlehem\u2019s decision has encouraged other Palestinian towns to join in. From Beit Jala and Ramallah to Nablus and Zababdeh, streets and churches are being decorated in a collective attempt to invite spiritual reflection and restore the bonds of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n Bethlehem Mayor Maher Canawati said that Christmas in Palestine is \u201ca deeply spiritual act \u2013 a time for peace, solidarity and compassion for those who continue to suffer,\u201d and that the lighting of the tree represents \u201ca strong reaffirmation of community, unity and faith.\u201d Former Mayor Anton Salman adds that this year\u2019s festivities express Palestinians\u2019 determination to maintain hope \u201camid ongoing adversity.\u201d<\/p>\n Samir Hazboun, head of the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation<\/a>, emphasised that the celebrations unite Muslims and Christians alike in a spirit of national solidarity.<\/p>\n Archbishop Atallah Hanna of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem said the world should remember that, despite a lull in active fighting, suffering and oppression persist. \u201cYet hope endures,\u201d he said. \u201cChristmas embodies the values of peace, love and brotherhood.\u201d<\/p>\n Beneath the lights and carols, the reality on the ground is grim. Unemployment in Bethlehem has soared to 31%. Tourism \u2014 normally the city\u2019s economic lifeline \u2014 is actually costing the city roughly $2.5 million every day. In 2022, Bethlehem welcomed 1.5 million visitors; today, the industry teeters on collapse. Hotels and workshops operate at a fraction of capacity. Families that once relied on pilgrimage-related income fear bankruptcy.<\/p>\n If economic hardship were the only struggle, the situation would be dire enough. But the last two years have also seen an alarming escalation in Israeli settlement expansion and settler violence.<\/p>\n \tWe rely on our readers to fund Sight’s work – become a financial supporter today!<\/p>\n On 25th November, Governor Mohammad Taha Abu Aliya, whose jurisdiction covers 10 cities in the West Bank, including Bethlehem, told journalists<\/a> that settler attacks, land confiscations and military incursions continue \u201cunabated\u201d, even as global attention shifts elsewhere. The governor appealed directly to Pope Leo XIV, global church leaders and world governments to protect the historic city, criticising muted international responses to the constant violence, while praising journalists for documenting both occupation and resilience.<\/p>\n \u201cBethlehem is a window to Palestine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Just south of Bethlehem lies Beit Sahour, home to the Shepherds\u2019 Field, where the Gospel of Luke says angels appeared to shepherds to tell them about the birth of the Christ child. There, the danger is even more immediate. The town\u2019s mayor, Elias Iseed, recently sent an urgent letter to world and church leaders warning of an Israeli plan to build a new settlement on the town\u2019s lands \u2013 an \u201cact of dispossession\u201d, he writes, that would \u201cterrorise\u201d a peaceful, predominantly Christian community.<\/p>\n The targeted area is part of Area C, under full Israeli control. It includes the locally popular Osh Ghurab park and recreation grounds, already overshadowed by a military post. Establishing a settlement there, Iseed warns, \u201cwill disrupt our entire community\u201d and push residents toward forced migration. He cites United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs figures documenting 757 settler attacks since January \u2013 a 13 per cent increase from last year.<\/p>\n
Palestinian workers prepare a Christmas tree in Manger Square, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on 25th November, 2025. PICTURE: AP Photo\/Mahmoud Illean.<\/p>\n