No Christmas in Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM – In the hours before Christmas Eve, the birthplace of Jesus is marked more by the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians killed in weeks of fighting with Israeli troops than by the holiday spirit.

There are no Christmas decorations in Bethlehem's Manger Square, where tens of thousands of Christians from around the world ushered in the millennium last year.

The Christmas tree in the square - outside the Church of the Nativity, revered by Christians as the site of the manger where Jesus was born - is simply decorated with light bulbs.

Pictures of Palestinians killed by Israeli troops are glued on some shop walls in the Palestinian-ruled West Bank town.

"It's a sad Christmas this year because of the absence of peace in the city of peace and joy," Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Nasser told Reuters.

"People are mourning the Palestinians killed in the Intifada (uprising), the many houses destroyed and because the city is tightly closed," he added.

Nasser said Christmas festivities would be confined to religious ceremonies and to children's festivals and choirs.

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who always attends midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity, will arrive in Bethlehem tomorrow, his first visit to the West Bank from Gaza since violence erupted in late September.

At least 342 people, all Palestinians except 13 Israeli Arabs and 39 other Israelis, have been killed in the fighting.

An 11-week Israeli closure on Palestinian areas, including a tight blockade on Bethlehem, has made it difficult for pilgrims and tourists to visit holy sites in the town.

On Saturday, only a handful of tourists wandered through Bethlehem's narrow alleys.

"It's sad here. I don't know if I should've come here at this time," said Tamara Galloway, 33, a software engineer.

"I wanted to celebrate Christmas but I don't want any small amount of money I spend in this country to be used for arms and bombs," the British pilgrim said.

Two tourist buses took 240 Nigerian Christians to an Israeli army checkpoint at the entrance to Bethlehem. They crossed the checkpoint on foot, then took a Palestinian bus to the Church of the Nativity.

Several other cars coming from Jerusalem were turned away by Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint.

Israel cites security reasons for its closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, lands it captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians want for a future state.

Palestinians say the closure is collective punishment.

British Consul-General in Jerusalem Robert Keally walked with his wife in the square packed with dozens of children singing Palestinian songs and waving Palestinian flags.

"There aren't lots and lots of visitors because it's impossible to get in...there are problems, even for diplomats, and there are many more problems for ordinary people," he said.

Souvenir shop owners said they had not seen a tourist in Bethlehem since the clashes erupted. They said Bethlehem's economy, which thrives on tourism, has been destroyed. Hotel owners said occupancy was nil.

Janet Qumsieh, owner of the King David souvenir store, said most shops in Bethlehem have been closed since the violence began, but some opened on Saturday in anticipation.

"I haven't even bothered to brush the dust off the products, what for? Nobody will come and buy," Qumsieh said.

- REUTERS

Herald Online feature: Middle East

Backgrounder: Holy city in grip of past

Map

Middle East Daily

Arabic News

Arabic Media Internet Network

Jerusalem Post

Israel Wire

US Department of State - Middle East Peace Process