On Christmas Eve, Bethlehem resembles a ghost town. Celebrations are halted due to Israel-Hamas...

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On Christmas Eve, Bethlehem resembles a ghost town. Celebrations are halted due to Israel-Hamas war

In solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, the municipality of Bethlehem has organized an artwork called “Nativity under the Rubble” in Manger Square where a decorated Christmas tree usually stands. (Dec. 23)
By MELANIE LIDMAN
Updated 10:12 AM EST, December 24, 2023

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — The normally bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus resembled a ghost town on Sunday, as Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel-Hamas war.

The festive lights and Christmas tree that normally decorate Manger Square were missing, as were the throngs of foreign tourists and jubilant youth marching bands that gather in the West Bank town each year to mark the holiday. Dozens of Palestinian security forces patrolled the empty square.

“This year, without the Christmas tree and without lights, there’s just darkness,” said Brother John Vinh, a Franciscan monk from Vietnam who has lived in Jerusalem for six years.
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