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Associated Press

At midnight on Christmas Eve, the words of the traditional hymn “The Night of Christmas” will ring out in the tiny grotto in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born.
“On the night of Christmas, war is buried, On the night of Christmas, love is born,” a local choir sings each year during the midnight service.
As they rehearsed ahead of this year’s service, many choir members said the words echoed with deeper meaning following the ceasefire in Gaza.
“It reminds us that no matter the difficulties, the darkness, there is always a light and that hope is always alive,” said Joseph Hazboun, the conductor of the lay choir made up of local Catholics.

For the past two years, as the war in Gaza dragged on, Christmas in the Palestinian city has been a sombre affair, without the traditional festivities and decorations and music.
But this year, families are flocking again to Manger Square, signalling hope about the fragile ceasefire and providing a much needed economic boost to Bethlehem.
On a recent visit, Manger Square was crowded and buzzing with festive lights, a Christmas market, and music shows for children.
“You can see the town come alive again,” said Zoya Thalgia, a resident of Bethlehem. “Everyone’s happy, everyone’s coming out to celebrate, no matter the religion, no matter their stance, everyone is here.”
Christmas and religious pilgrims have always been a prime economic engine for Bethlehem.
Around 80 per cent of the Muslim-majority city’s residents depend on tourism-related businesses, according to the local government.

During good times, their earnings ripple out to communities across the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967 that has long struggled with poverty.
But during the Gaza war, the unemployment rate in the city jumped from 14 per cent to 65 per cent, Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati said earlier this month.
And in previous years, as an act of protest, some churches created nativity scenes with Jesus as an infant surrounded by rubble and barbed wire.
Peace on Earth
Despite the ceasefire that began in October, tensions remain high across much of the West Bank.
Israel’s military has said it is cracking down on militants in the territory and carrying out frequent raids.
Attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank this year reached their highest level since the UN humanitarian office started collecting data in 2006.


Odette Al Sliby, a Bethlehem resident, has sung in choirs since she was seven years old, but she said few things compare to being able to sing in the grotto at the midnight mass.
“It’s very holy, the place and the atmosphere and the songs and the words,” she said.
Singing those songs is a message of hope, she said, and a reminder to Christians of the significance of endurance. “As Christians in the Holy Land, there is a big message of being here.”
Christians account for less than 2 per cent of the West Bank’s roughly 3 million residents, a presence that has been shrinking.
As poverty and unemployment have soared during the war, about 4,000 people have left Bethlehem in search of work, the mayor said. It is part of a worrying trend for Christians, who are leaving the region in droves.
Across the Middle East, the Christian population has steadily declined as people have fled conflict and attacks.

Hazboun said he would pray this Christmas that the Christian population of Bethlehem and of other areas in the region important to Christianity did not shrink any further.
The return of Christmas festivities across the West Bank, including a Christmas market in Ramallah thronged with visitors, was a much-needed break for local children, he said.
While Palestinians in the West Bank are still devastated by the images coming out of Gaza, lighting the community Christmas tree in Bethlehem’s Manger Square for the first time in two years earlier this month provided a boost of much-needed holiday joy.
“We continue to pray for peace. This is the land of peace, it’s the land where the Prince of Peace was born, and we continue to pray and hope that one day we all will enjoy peace,” Hazboun said.


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Women pose for a picture in Manger Square in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Joseph Hazboun leads a choir rehearsal in St Catherine’s Church in Bethlehem on Friday. Photo: AP

Palestinian vendors wait for clients in Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Tuesday. Photo: AP 

Palestinians watch a performance in Manger Square on Friday. Photo: AP

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Soldiers of Israel Defence Forces stand on top of tanks at the borders with Gaza on October 10, the first day of the ceasefire implementation. Photo: dpa

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News

World

Middle East

Palestinians are flocking again to Manger Square, bringing much-needed revenue to the city after two years of fighting


Palestinians are flocking again to Manger Square, bringing much-needed revenue to the city after two years of fighting.


Israel

War and conflict

Christmas

Palestinian Territories

Gaza’s fragile ceasefire brings Christmas joy to Bethlehem

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Palestinians are flocking again to Manger Square, bringing much-needed revenue to the city after two years of fighting

Palestinians are flocking again to Manger Square, bringing much-needed revenue to the city after two years of fighting