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Bethlehem holds first Christmas celebration after two years of war
Bethlehem held its first large public Christmas celebration in two years to restore hope and revive tourism after cancellations caused by the Israel-Hamas war, officials said.
- For the first time in three years, Bethlehem hosted large public Christmas celebrations on Dec. 24, with events in Manger Square and at the Church of the Nativity, including a procession from Jerusalem.
- After two years of cancelled festivities due to war, Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati said the fragile ceasefire allowed celebrations to resume despite cancellations in 2023 and 2024 amid the Israel–Hamas war.
- Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, led the procession from Jerusalem and told reporters, `This year we want a Christmas full of light`.
- This Christmas brought hope back to residents who had endured two years without public festivities, though Canawati said many tourism-dependent families remain financially strained and some residents have left.
- Tensions remain high across the West Bank, with attacks by Israeli settlers at their highest level since 2006, and the Israeli government approved 19 new settlements amid fragile ceasefire uncertainties.
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In front of the Nativity Church of Jesus in Bethlehem, a Christmas tree shines for the first time in years. How pilgrims and church representatives celebrate the feast in the Holy Land.
·Germany
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Bethlehem Celebrates First Christmas In 2 Years As Fragile Gaza Truce Holds
Scouts marched under a clear blue sky in Bethlehem on Wednesday, as the Palestinian city emerged from the shadow of the war in Gaza to celebrate its first festive Christmas in more than two years.
·New Delhi, India
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Bethlehem celebrates first Christmas in three years
The city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank is buzzing with Christmas festivities for the first time in three years as Palestinians express cautious optimism amid the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. CNN’s Matthew Chance reports.
·Atlanta, United States
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Total News Sources18
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 40%
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