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During the past two Christmases, John Jucca’s family restaurant looked much like any other business in Bethlehem: closed and completely empty.
But on Saturday evening, it was packed with families and lit up with red lights, a hopeful change palestinian The city has been in crisis since the outbreak of war in Gaza.
Christmas celebrations are slowly returning to the traditional birthplace of Jesus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
While a shaky ceasefire remains in place in Gaza, Palestinians hope the celebrations are a step toward a more peaceful future in a region rocked by tragedy.
“It’s not like it was before the war,” said Juka, 30. “But it feels like life is coming back again.”
Muslim majority city remains vibrant on Christmas
Tourism and religious pilgrimage have long been major economic engines bethlehemAccording to the local government, about 80% of the Muslim-majority city’s residents live away from it,
These earnings reach communities in the West Bank, a region that has long struggled with economic uncertainty.
Maher Nicola Canavati, the mayor of Bethlehem, said, “When we have 10,000 visitors and pilgrims sleeping in Bethlehem, it means that the butcher is working, the supermarket is working and everyone is working.” “There’s a ripple effect.”
That economic lifeline evaporated when war broke out in Gaza following a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Bethlehem authorities canceled major Christmas celebrations amid Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza, which the health ministry reported has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians.
At the same time, Israel’s military stepped up operations in the West Bank, including communities near Bethlehem.
The mayor said that the unemployment rate in the city has increased from 14% to 65%. Poverty increased and about 4,000 people left in search of work.
A UN report last month said the West Bank was suffering its most severe economic recession on record Israel military operations.
Now Bethlehem residents want to return.
“The decision we made was to rekindle the Christmas spirit and rekindle hope,” the mayor said. “I think it sends a big message to the whole world that we love Palestinian life and we look forward to a peaceful solution.”
some tourists returned
On Saturday, crowds lined up with heavily armed police cheered after a prayer for peace, and fathers carried children on their shoulders as a giant Christmas tree lit up in Manger Square, near the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born.
For families like Juka’s, who struggled to keep businesses afloat during the war, the scene of the crowd felt like a deep sigh after years of uncertainty.
The family opened a restaurant serving traditional Palestinian food in 1979. As many businesses in Bethlehem declined during the latest war, the family wondered how long they could hold out.
In August, as ceasefire talks gained momentum, Juka said she began to see visitors roaming the streets, and her family decided to reopen. ,to tourists It feels safe to finally be back,” he said. “We hope we can see peace in our future.”
In November, the number of tourists to the city reached its highest level since the war began, Kanawati said, and reservations show hotels will be about 70% occupied during Christmas.
Still, some of the hundreds of people gathered in Bethlehem’s square were foreign tourists, and residents said celebrations are no longer anywhere near the size they used to be.
West Bank tensions
Issa Montas, 29, another West Bank resident, said holiday celebrations have been overshadowed by tensions in the region.
While Bethlehem has long been a religious haven of relative peace, violence and military raids have occurred regularly in the vicinity. Israel’s military has said it is cracking down on terrorists in the West Bank and responding to the aggression.
On Saturday, Israel’s military said its forces shot dead two Palestinian men who tried to run over soldiers with their vehicle at a security checkpoint in Hebron, south of Bethlehem. Palestinian health officials confirmed the death of at least one of them.
Military checkpoints have turned commutes into sometimes day-long efforts. Montas, who paints houses in Jerusalem for a living, said he traveled six hours from his home in Ramallah, less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, to reach Bethlehem.
At the same time, attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank have reached the highest level since the UN humanitarian office began collecting data in 2006, peaking in recent months.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government is dominated by far-right supporters of the settler movement, has said the culprits are “a handful of extremists.”
Montas spoke in despair. He said of the settlers, “I have seen a lot of violence, but no one can stop them, not even the Israeli army or police can control them. They allow them to do it.” “It seems like no matter what I say, it will be useless because no one cares.”
Still, he expressed cautious optimism Saturday as children ran through hordes of street vendors and a mix of Christmas and Arabic music floated through the crowds.
“This (celebration) is not just for us. It is for everyone, Christian, Jew, Muslim,” Montas said. “This Christmas is for everyone.”