This Christmas, a number of media outlets have run headlines and stories about Christmas being ‘canceled’ or there being ‘no Christmas’ in Bethlehem because of the ongoing war in Gaza. While such statements might make for good clickbait, they do not quite capture the nuances of the scenes in Bethlehem. Here, I thought I would offer some observations this Christmas from the reputed city of Jesus’ birth, including various photos I have taken. I have been visiting Bethlehem with a friend who is working on some very detailed and interesting stories about Bethlehem that also go beyond simplistic headlines about Christmas supposedly being called off in Bethlehem.
To be sure, the most striking thing on entering and travelling around Bethlehem is the lack of hustle-and-bustle the city in comparison with regular years when visitors from around the world flock in huge numbers to participate in the Christmas celebrations here. As a result, many large hotels are shut, creating a somewhat eery atmosphere.
But it is not just the hotels that are being hurt by this absence of visitors. Other businesses such as souvenir stores, restaurants and even the city’s Christian bookstores are being affected too. On one occasion, when I wanted to purchase some books from the Arabic-language Immanuel Bookstore (an Evangelical bookstore), the seller made clear that I could only pay in cash, not card. She was desperately hoping that I would come back with cash and purchase the books, noting how difficult the economic situation is now. A couple of shopkeepers primarily selling goods for tourists were also clear about the costly impact of the war on business in Bethlehem. It is hard not to sympathise with their predicament.
In significant part, the downturn in tourism is due to concerns about the security situation since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war. These concerns in my view, err too far on the side of caution. For example, the UK government advises its citizens against all travel to Bethlehem as part of a wider advisory against all travel to the West Bank. While I can understand applying such an advisory to some parts of the West Bank, a blanket application seems excessive. Bethlehem is not at risk of rocket fire and it is not as though the city is a hotspot for militant activity, armed clashes and raids by Israeli or Palestinian security forces. In fact, the city feels perfectly safe and at no point have I felt threatened or endangered, and the risk of a security incident is probably higher in a place like Jerusalem.
It is true that at the official level, the scenes in Bethlehem are not intended to convey a very joyous atmosphere this Christmas. In Manger Square, a prominent banner can be observed calling to “stop the genocide” (referring to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza), “stop the displacement” and “lift the blockade,” while celebrating the concept of “resistance” until “liberation” and “return.” A scene of Jesus depicted under rubble has been placed in the square, and on Christmas Eve, a demonstration was organised in the square featuring the unfolding of a large flag of Palestine. That demonstration also featured speeches by the head of Bethlehem’s municipal office, an Orthodox priest, Lutheran pastor Munther Isaac (who has shot to media prominence with videos of his sermons being circulated on social media) and the artist behind the Manger Square scene depicting Jesus amid rubble. Notably, that artist asserted that Palestinians’ history goes back to the ancient Canaanites, while suggesting that Israeli Jews have no historical claim to the land- a silly claim that strikes me as anti-Jewish. There were also messages from local children in various languages about the situation in Gaza. Furthermore, banners about Gaza have been put on railings outside the Church of the Nativity.
Yet none of this somehow means that Christmas is ‘canceled’ in Bethlehem. In fact, Bethlehem’s churches have continued to hold services. That these services have highlighted feelings of sadness and anguish among Palestinian Christians about what is happening in Gaza does not amount to a ‘cancelation’ of Christmas. I myself attended some of these services: namely, three at the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church led by Munther Isaac (23 December, Christmas Eve in the afternoon, and Christmas Day), the Roman Catholic Midnight Mass spanning Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and also a Christmas Day service at a Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
In all of these services, there was a clear broad message that Christmas is the occasion to celebrate birth of Jesus as Lord and Saviour who came to redeem humanity, though there was variance in terms of the degree of politicisation of the service. Of the three churches I attended, the Lutheran services were the most political. Munther Isaac was explicit in his sermons about the necessity of stopping the “genocide” against Gaza. He tied the story of Jesus’ birth to present-day persecution at the hands of occupation and “empire,” and emphasised that at Christmas time, there is cause to celebrate hope for deliverance from persecution and oppression.
The Roman Catholic and Melkite Greek Catholic services also made mention of Gaza, though in terms that were less explicitly critical of Israel than Isaac’s sermons. None of these services declared that Christmas was ‘canceled.’ In fact, the Lutheran service on Christmas Eve featured a reception with food, sweets and drinks, and likewise on Christmas Day there was a reception featuring sweets, coffee and tea, as well as gifts distributed for the women of the congregation. The Melkite service likewise had a reception with chocolates and drinks. Congregants in the Lutheran and Melkite churches also happily conveyed standard Arabic-language greetings that are common to Christmas and other occasions, such as Kul ‘am wa inta salim (lit. “may you be well each year”). That does not contradict awareness and awareness-raising about the situation in Gaza.
I should add a more general observation here on the Palestinian Christians I have come to know in Bethlehem. It might be supposed that their demonstrations of solidarity with the people of Gaza and political positions on the Palestinian cause are an affectation to impress their Muslim neighbours (who constitute a clear majority in Bethlehem) and avert Muslim suspicions about where their loyalties lie- perhaps analogous to the Jewish community in Iran’s expressions of anti-Zionist sentiment.
If such a supposition were to be made, I would find it unconvincing. Even among those Christians of Bethlehem who are most explicit in their wish to convert others to Christianity (such as that Evangelical bookseller I met), it seems evident to me that there is a strong sense of affinity with Palestinian identity and belief in what they see as the justice of the Palestinian cause and injustice of Israeli occupation. There is no reason to consider these Christians’ positions on Gaza as embodying anything other than solidarity with fellow Palestinians, including their fellow Palestinian Christians in Gaza.
While they acknowledge that the numbers of Christians have declined in the West Bank over the years, they do not attribute this decline to Muslim persecution or problems with their Muslim neighbours. Rather, they blame the decline on what they see as lack of job opportunities and stifling of the economy by Israel’s policies, as well as concerns about security that arose from previous rounds of major violence in the First and Second Intifadas.
In turn, the Palestinian Christians I have come to know here- even the Evangelical types- are opposed to Christian Zionism: that is, support for the state of Israel from a Christian theological perspective, which is strongest these days in the United States. The bookseller, for example, framed her rejection of Christian Zionism in terms that might be deemed supersessionist: in other words, the one who believes in Christ becomes part of the new Israel, in contrast with the old covenant between God and the nation of Israel. A couple of congregants I came to know at the Lutheran Church did not adopt such an anti-Jewish framing. They made clear that they had no problem with Jews as people, their religion, or the idea of living alongside them. Rather their grievance is one against Israeli policies and is a matter of deeds and actions rather than Israel’s Jewish identity. One of them clearly affirmed his support for a two-state solution.
Rather than regurgitating headlines about the supposed ‘cancelation’ of Christmas, it would be helpful for visitors to come to Bethlehem, observe the scenes for themselves and talk to people here. Far from Christmas being called off, the town, churches and Christians of Bethlehem are simply celebrating and commemorating Christmas in a different way in light of the situation in Gaza.
