BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) \u2014 Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem\u2019s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families heralded a\u2026<\/p>\n
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) \u2014 Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem\u2019s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit. The giant Christmas tree that was absent during the Israel-Hamas war<\/a> returned on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The city where Christians believe Jesus was born had cancelled Christmas celebrations<\/a> for the past two years. Manger Square instead had featured a nativity scene of baby Jesus surrounded by rubble and barbed wire in homage to the situation in Gaza.<\/p>\n Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa<\/a>, the top Catholic leader in the Holy Land, kicked off this year\u2019s celebrations during the traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, calling for \u201ca Christmas full of light.\u201d<\/p>\n Arriving in Manger Square, Pizzaballa said he came bearing greetings from Gaza\u2019s tiny Christian community<\/a>, where he held a pre-Christmas Mass on Sunday. In the devastation, he saw a desire to rebuild.<\/p>\n \u201cWe, all together, we decide to be the light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world,\u201d he told thousands of people, Christian and Muslim.<\/p>\n Despite the holiday cheer, the impact of the war in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is acute, especially in Bethlehem, where around 80% of the Muslim-majority city\u2019s residents depend upon tourism-related businesses<\/a>, according to the local government.<\/p>\n The vast majority of people celebrating were residents, with a handful of foreigners. But some residents said they are starting to see signs of change as tourism slowly returns.<\/p>\n \u2018Hope in very dark situations\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cToday is a day of joy, a day of hope, the beginning of the return of normal life here,\u201d said Bethlehem resident Georgette Jackaman, a tour guide. She and her husband, Michael Jackaman, another guide, are from Christian Bethlehem families that stretch back generations.<\/p>\n This is the first real Christmas celebration for their two children, aged 2 1\/2 and 10 months.<\/p>\n During the war, the Jackamans pivoted to create a website selling Palestinian handicrafts to support others who lost their livelihoods. The unemployment rate in the city jumped from 14% to 65%, Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati said earlier this month<\/a>.<\/p>\n A visitor from France, Mona Riewer, said that \u201cI came because I wanted to better understand what people in Palestine are going through, and you can sense people have been through a very hard time.\u201d<\/p>\n Friends and family cautioned her against coming due to the volatile situation, but Riewer said being in Bethlehem helped her appreciate the meaning of the holiday.<\/p>\n \u201cChristmas is like hope in very dark situations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Despite the Gaza ceasefire that began in October, tensions remain high across much of the West Bank.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military continues to carry out raids in what it calls a crackdown on militants. Attacks by Israeli settlers<\/a> against Palestinians have reached their highest level since the United Nations humanitarian office started collecting data in 2006. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war. The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority has limited autonomy in parts of the territory, including Bethlehem.<\/p>\n As poverty and unemployment have soared, about 4,000 people have left Bethlehem in search of work, the mayor said. It\u2019s part of a worrying trend for Christians<\/a>, who are leaving the region in droves. Christians account for less than 2% of the West Bank\u2019s roughly 3 million residents.<\/p>\n The beginning of a return to normal life<\/p>\n Fadi Zoughbi, who previously worked overseeing logistics for tour groups, said his children were ecstatic to see marching bands streaming through Bethlehem\u2019s streets.<\/p>\n The scouts represent cities and towns across the West Bank, with Palestinian flags and tartan draped on their bagpipes. For the past two years, the scouts marched silently as a protest against the war.<\/p>\n Irene Kirmiz, who grew up in Bethlehem and lives in Ramallah, said the scout parade is among her favorite Christmas traditions. Her 15-year-old daughter plays the tenor drum with the Ramallah scouts.<\/p>\n But her family had to wake up at 5 a.m. to arrive for the parade and waited upwards of three hours at Israeli checkpoints. The drive previously took 40 minutes without the checkpoints that have increasingly made travel difficult<\/a> for Palestinians, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very emotional seeing people trying to bounce back, trying to celebrate peace and love,\u201d Kirmiz said.<\/p>\n