London: The bustling birthplace of Jesus Christ resembled a ghost town on Sunday after Christmas-eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, AP reported.
The festive lights and Christmas tree that greet hundreds of tourists at the main Manger Square were all missing, as were jubilant youth and marching bands who usually gather in the West Bank town every year.
Instead, dozens of Palestinian security forces patrolled the empty square.
“This year, without the Christmas tree and without lights, there’s just darkness,” said Brother John Vinh, a Franciscan monk from Vietnam who has been living in Jerusalem for the last six years.
There was barbed wire and grey rubble all around which reflected the battle that has been raging for more than two-and-a-half months, and has resulted in thousands of deaths of innocent civilains including children.
Adding to the grim mood was the cold, rainy weather.
With Christmas festivities being a non-starter, it dealt a severe blow to the town’s economy. Tourism generally accounts for around 70% of Bethlehem’s income, almost all of which comes during the Christmas season.
Several major airlines cancelled flights to Israel, so very few foreigners are visiting. According to local officials, more than 70 hotels in Bethlehem were forced to close, leaving thousands unemployed.
Some gift shops did open on Christmas Eve, but there were few visitors.
“We can’t justify putting out a tree and celebrating as normal when some people (in Gaza) don’t even have houses to go to,” said Ala’a Salameh, whose family owns Afteem Restaurant located close to the Manger Square.
A few teenagers were offering small inflatable Santas under a banner that read ‘Bethlehem’s Christmas bells ring for a ceasefire in Gaza,’ but there were no buyers.
Young scouts stood silently with flags instead of their traditional march through the streets of Bethlehem.
Pope Francis lamented that Jesus’ message of peace was being drowned out by the “futile logic of war” in the very land where he was born.
“Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world,” the Pope said, presiding a solemn Christmas Eve Mass in St Peter’s Basilica.
