Christmas muted in 'grieving' Bethlehem
There are no festive lights strung overhead and no sign of the huge tree normally erected to celebrate the event that Christians believe took place on this spot 2,000 years ago: the birth of Jesus Christ.
As the war between Israel and Hamas rages around 100 km away in Gaza – leaving thousands of Palestinians dead and nearly two million displaced and trapped in a humanitarian catastrophe – Christmas will be a muted affair in the occupied West Bank.
In a normal year, Bethlehem would be a "city full of people, full of tourists", said 30-year-old Abood Suboh, standing in his empty shop where he sells cashmere scarves and leather handbags.
"This war stopped everything."
'Tourists disappeared'
Church leaders in Jerusalem and the Bethlehem city council took the decision last month to forego "any unnecessarily festive" Christmas celebrations in solidarity with Gazans.
The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem will still come to deliver his traditional midnight mass on Christmas Eve, but with pilgrims staying away and access to the city restricted by Israeli authorities, turnout is likely to suffer.
The war could not have come at a worse time for locals who depend on the Christmas tourist trade.
Jack Giacaman, of the Christmas House souvenir shop, said 80 percent of their sales came at the end of the year.
"Suddenly, in October, tourists disappeared from the streets. And now Bethlehem is completely closed from all directions," he said, referring to the Israeli checkpoints that restrict movement into the walled-off West Bank.
In the workshop behind Giacaman's store, half-finished shepherds and magi stood watch over deserted workstations.
He had already been forced to borrow money to tide over the business after the slump caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, but had a three-year plan to get back on track.
"Now we don't know how to cover this year," he said.
'Like living in a prison'
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the West Bank has seen a surge in violence, with more than 290 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers, local health officials say.
Some pilgrims don't even realise Bethlehem is located in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War, Giacaman said.
"Sometimes they come into the shop and say, 'I'm happy to be in Bethlehem, Israel,'" he said.
The Church of the Nativity was empty during our visit, save for a handful of workmen and a small group of pilgrims.
Outside, Greek Orthodox priest Issa Thaljieh said Bethlehem was "grieving" the violence in Gaza.
And he regretted that pilgrims would not see the reality of life for Palestinians this year.
Visiting holy sites is important, he said, "but what's most important is to know how Palestinians are living, how they are passing through the difficult situation daily, with the walls around, like living in a prison."
An eye-catching tableau for resistance: graffiti art in Bethlehem
-
The trailblazer: in 2005, the legendary British street artist Banksy visited the West Bank and left behind nine stencilled graffiti images on the wall and on private buildings in and around Bethlehem. His satirical and critical commentary on Israel's occupation policy marked the start of an onslaught of international and Palestinian graffiti artists – amateurs and professionals alike – who have adorned the wall with their political and personal messages. -
Black humour: many of Banksy's early and later works still exist today, such as his famous "Flower Thrower" and the little girl frisking an Israeli soldier. Some images have been painted over by other artists or even removed out of protest, as a number of Palestinians don't like the British artist's signature black humour. -
Escape by escalator: in 2007, Banksy started the "Santa's Ghetto" artist initiative and organised a gathering of internationally renowned "street artists" in Bethlehem (including Mark Jenkins, Sam3, Ron English, Eircailcane, Swoon, and Faile) in order to draw attention to the political situation in the occupied territories. The Italian graffiti artist Blu also contributed with a work on the Israeli barrier opposite the UN refugee camp Aida. -
Of hijackers and Christmas trees: this section of the wall features a portrait of the PFLP plane hijacker Leila Khaled and, on the right, a walled-up Christmas tree by the graffiti artist Blu. Bethlehem is characteristically symbolised by Christmas motifs. It remains a matter of interpretation, however, what the artist intended to convey with the image of the dead tree stumps outside of the wall. The power of destruction? Avarice? Hypocrisy? -
Pacifism Palestinian style: this work by an unknown Palestinian artist also embellishes the wall in Bethlehem. It makes a humorous reference to the slogan of the hippy and anti-Vietnam War movement of the 1960s: "Make love, not war." -
Mourning "Handala": an unknown Palestinian artist created the image of a mourning Statue of Liberty cradling "Handala" in its arms. In 1969, the Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali created the autobiographical figure of the refugee boy "Handala," who always has his back turned to the observer and has his arms folded in a gesture of defiance. To this day, "Handala" serves as a symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance against the occupation. -
Christmas tourism vs art tourism: despite the many security warnings, Bethlehem remains a magnet for tourists. Especially during the Christmas season, the small city is overwhelmed by a flood of tourists and pilgrims. As the presumed birthplace of Jesus Christ, Bethlehem draws people from all over the world. Many, however, overlook the stark political realities of life in the city, e.g. the Israeli separation wall. -
The New Yorker twins How & Nosm are known in the international street art world for their complicated and abstract graffiti works in red, black, and white. While engaged in their artwork in the autumn of 2013, they were frequently confronted and threatened by Israeli soldiers. One of their works, a symbolic image of a key, was painted over with "Stars of David" and pro-Israeli slogans by soldiers on the very day it was completed. -
A special obligation: "We believe that just coming here and tagging, doing pieces, would be inappropriate and selfish. We felt an obligation to bring more than just our names so we brought some messages. If you're an artist you should take that into consideration," says the artistic duo How & Nosm. -
Berlin– Bethlehem: parallels are often drawn to another historically significant wall (and its fall). The citation "Ich bin ein Palästinenser" (I am a Palestinian) can be found on a number of places on the cement wall. Many sections of the Israeli separation barrier, as is the case here in Bethlehem, are quite similar in appearance to its former Berlin counterpart. -
Yamen Elabed was the first Palestinian to come up with the idea of earning money from the graffiti on the barrier wall. Two years ago, he opened his "Banksy's Shop" in Bethlehem. The store features items such as postcards, bags, and T-shirts printed with the most famous motifs of the British artist (including those that no longer exist), as well as works of other artists. On request, tourists can even purchase cans of spray paint so that they too can immortalise themselves on the wall. -
The wall at the Qalandiya Checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah serves as a canvas for professional artists as well as politically active Palestinians and those that sympathise with their cause. Here, the likenesses of two of the most important and charismatic Palestinian figures adorn the cement wall: left, the revered former President Yasser Arafat, right, the Fatah politician Marwan Barghouti, who was sentenced to five terms of life imprisonment and has been in prison since 2002.
'All gone now'
Franco-Palestinian restaurateur and hotelier Fadi Kattan, however, was sceptical that pilgrims learn much about the Palestinian cause.
Israeli tour operators nurture a perception that "all Palestinians are dangerous", turning them off interactions with locals, said Kattan, sitting on the terrace of his Bethlehem home that has been in his family for generations.
"For the pilgrims, it's like there's an invisible line where they don't go any deeper into the old city," he added.
Kattan – who serves modern Palestinian cuisine at his restaurants Fawda in Bethlehem and Akub in London's Notting Hill – had hoped to reopen his local businesses for Christmas this year after closing them during the pandemic.
"But that's all gone now," he said.
He said frightening wartime rhetoric from Israeli leaders had worsened the problem.
"If I was an American pilgrim, I would wait a few months to see what happens. Which is terrible to say, because it's a disaster for Bethlehem." (AFP)