Christmas in Bethlehem: empty, quiet and without hope!

Christmas in Bethlehem: empty, quiet and without hope!

Bethlehem, Westjordanland, Palästina - in Bethlehem, the traditional heart of Christmas, the festive mood is missing this year. The reason for this is the conflict in the Gaza Strip that has been going on for a year and a half. As vienna.at , the usual festive decoration is dispensed with, including the large Christmas tree in front of the birth church and the lighting of the streets. The midnight mass is still celebrated, but the Christmas splendor is missing - a bitter reality for the locals who are in a downward trend in the economy.

The situation is alarming. Many restaurants, such as the famous Aftem on the Manger Square, fights for survival. Owner Jaqueline Salameh describes that the restaurant, which has been in operation since 1948, has now only been visited by a few guests, while the income has fallen by 80 percent, such as Tageschau . The unemployment rate in the city has risen suddenly; Half of the population currently has no permanent job. The people in Bethlehem life in constant concern for their relatives in Gaza and also have no way of celebrating the festival with the usual joy.

sad reality at Christmas time

The streets are empty, Christmas stalls are hardly occupied, and the preparations for a festival that is normally shaped by life and joy look like a shadow of the past this year. The young drummer Elias Boulous, who normally occurs with festive moves, reports on the absent festival and the losses in his family through the war. In the alleys of Betlehem, where pilgrims and tourists once filled the place in front of the church, there is now only silence and sadness, while new reports on the suffering appear in the news every day. For the people here, Christmas is not a reason for joy, but another day in the shadow of the war.