Name: Bethlehem prepares for Christmas after years of canceled celebrations
Uploaded: 2025-12-23T16:49:51.351Z
Duration: 2 min
Description: Christmas celebrations are back in Bethlehem after two years.

Christmas celebrations are back in Bethlehem after two years.

Tel Aviv

Bethlehem has resumed its Christmas celebrations for the first time in two years, with families returning to Menger Square and traditional festivities such as tree lighting and markets taking place. The city's hospitality sector, heavily reliant on tourism, welcomes the return of these events despite a significant drop in international visitors and ongoing economic challenges caused by the Gaza conflict.

While a fragile ceasefire in Gaza has sparked some optimism, the region continues to face instability. Frequent Israeli military raids in the West Bank, rapid expansion of settlements, and a rise in settler violence have contributed to a tense atmosphere during the holiday season, according to local reports and United Nations data.

Bethlehem prepares for Christmas after years of canceled celebrations

Christmastime in the Holy Land, and for the first time in two years, celebrations are back. In Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus, families are once again returning to Menger Square. Business remains slow, with few if any international visitors. Still the resumption of festivities are a relief for the city's hospitality sector, which the Gaza war brought to a near standstill. I used to have 80 employees. Since the beginning of the war, we have reduced their numbers, compensated them and sent them home, keeping only four or five permanent ones. Though its majority Muslim, some 80% of Bethlehem's residents owe their livelihoods to tourism tied to its role in the history of Christianity. The fragile Gaza ceasefire kindling hopes of a return to some form of normalcy, with traditions like the lighting of the tree and Christmas markets once again taking place this year. We're very optimistic because after the agreement that was signed for ceasefire in Gaza, even though it's not fully enforced on the ground, but I think we have felt positive vibes. But the devastation in Gaza is not the only burden weighing on the Palestinian territories this holiday season. The Israeli military has been carrying out frequent raids across the West Bank on what it says are militant cells. Meanwhile, Israeli settlements have been quickly proliferating, with nearly 150 new unofficial outposts installed over the past two years. The Israeli government has just approved 19 new official settlements in a plan the far right cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says is aimed at burying the idea of a future Palestinian state. And the settlers are increasingly violent. The UN says that settler attacks on Palestinians hit their highest level this year since data began being collected in 2006.

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