Sombre Bethlehem marks Christmas with vigil as Israeli bombs rain on Gaza: ‘We feel sad’
- Palestinian Christians held a sombre Christmas vigil, without a large tree, the usual centrepiece of Bethlehem’s celebrations because of the carnage in Gaza
- And in place of the usual nativity scene, Bethlehem churches placed the models amid rubble and barbed wire in solidarity with the people of Gaza
Palestinian Christians held a sombre Christmas vigil in Bethlehem on Saturday, with candlelit hymns and prayers for peace in Gaza instead of the usual festive celebrations at the spot where they believe Jesus Christ was born.
Most years Bethlehem basks in the central place it holds in the Christian story of Jesus’ life, born there in a stable because there was no room for his parents at the inn, and placed in an animal’s manger, the humblest of all possible beds.
Some 2,000 years later, pilgrims usually flock to the reputed location of that stable in Bethlehem’s Byzantine-era Church of the Nativity, where most Christmases there are joyful displays of lights and trees in Manger Square.
But with Israel’s campaign in Gaza having killed more than 20,000 people according to health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave, the mostly Palestinian population of Bethlehem in the Occupied West Bank are in mourning too.
Bethlehem is a message. It is not a city, it is a message of peace to the whole world. From this sacred place we convey a message of peace … stop the war, stop the blood
This year they decided to have no large tree, the usual centrepiece of Bethlehem’s Christmas celebrations because of the carnage taking place only 50km (30 miles) away.
