Christmas in Bethlehem: Empty, silent and without hope!

Christmas in Bethlehem: Empty, silent and without hope!

In Bethlehem, the traditional heart of Christmas, the festive spirit is missing this year. The reason for this is the conflict in the Gaza Strip, which has now been going on for a year and a half. How vienna.at reported, the usual festive decorations will be foregone, including the large Christmas tree in front of the Church of the Nativity and the lighting of the streets. Midnight Mass is still celebrated, but the Christmas splendor is missing - a bitter reality for locals who find themselves in a declining economy.

The situation is alarming. Many restaurants, like the famous Afteem in Manger Square, are struggling to survive. Owner Jaqueline Salameh says the restaurant, which has been in operation since 1948, is now only visited by a few guests, while revenue has fallen by 80 percent daily news determines. The city's unemployment rate has skyrocketed; Half of the population currently does not have a permanent job. The people of Bethlehem live in constant worry for their relatives in Gaza and also have no opportunity to celebrate the festival with the usual joy.

Sad reality at Christmas time

The streets are empty, Christmas stalls are barely occupied, and preparations for a celebration that is usually full of life and joy seem like a shadow of the past this year. The young drummer Elias Boulous, who usually performs at festive parades, talks about the absence of festivities and the losses in his family due to the war. In the streets of Bethlehem, where pilgrims and tourists once filled the square in front of the Church of the Nativity, all that can be felt now is silence and sadness, while new reports of 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 war.