But Saturday brought a glimmer of hope to the crowds who gathered in Bethlehem’s Manger Square, outside of the Church of the Nativity, to watch the Christmas tree there be lit for the first time since 2022. Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, is also suffering from a severe economic crisis, with many businesses that have been around for generations forced to shut their doors due to severe Israeli restrictions that cut it off from the rest of the world. Despite this year’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony being more subdued than in the past, Odeh said Palestinians in Bethlehem see it “as an opportunity to – on the one hand – give their kids some joy, but on the other tell the world that Bethlehem is open and ready to receive them” in the hopes of “breathing some life into their strangled economy”.
Author: Mariamne Everett
Published at: 2025-12-06 21:18:14
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