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For the first time since the start of the war in Gaza, the Christmas tree is lit in Bethlehem

2025-12-06 17:14:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

For the first time since the start of the war in Gaza, the Christmas tree is lit

For two years, all public Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, were canceled due to the war in Gaza. But after a recent ceasefire, the city decided to return this year, starting with the lighting of a giant Christmas tree in front of the historic church.

"It's been two bad years of silence; no Christmas, no work. We all live here off tourism, and tourism had dropped to zero," said Bethlehem Mayor Maher Canawati. The mayor said the idea of ??resuming the celebrations was not without controversy, while the suffering still continues for Palestinians in Gaza.

The neighboring towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour are also planning to light Christmas trees in the coming days. The hotels - which have been largely empty for the past two years - have seen an influx of bookings from Palestinian citizens of Israel, as well as some foreign visitors.

Unemployment has risen sharply in Bethlehem in the past two years. Since the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel in October 2023, which triggered the war, tens of thousands of Palestinian workers from the West Bank have been blocked from entering Israel and its settlements for work.

Meanwhile, civil servants have received only partial salaries from the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the West Bank. The PA relies on tax revenues collected from Israel, which it withholds, amounting to $1.76 billion, according to the UN trade and development agency.

Israel says it is withholding the funds because the PA makes payments to Palestinian prisoners who incite attacks on Israelis. The authority, which has been under international pressure to make reforms, says it has recently changed its welfare system.

The bleak economic outlook means that for many Palestinian Christians, even though there are now public events, as well as religious services, this will be a difficult Christmas. With tensions still high across the region, people in Bethlehem say they are praying for peace and hoping that tourists will return to the place where Christmas is believed to have begun. /CNA