Due to the war in Gaza, Christmas
celebrations in the land where Jesus Christ was born have effectively been
cancelled.
The transformation of the traditional nativity scene in Bethlehem into a poignant symbol of conflict marked a significant shift in the representation of one of Christianity's most sacred narratives. Historically, the scene had always been a vibrant and evocative portrayal of the birth of Jesus Christ. However, in a stark departure from tradition, it now depicted a baby, representing Jesus, swaddled in a Palestinian kefiyeh and lying amidst rubble. This dramatic change was a direct response to the war in Gaza that began on October 7. The repercussions of this conflict were profoundly felt in the West Bank, especially in Bethlehem, leading to a considerable reduction in Christmas festivities. The usually bustling city, known for its festive banquets, traditional Boy Scout parades, and influx of pilgrims, was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to its typical holiday exuberance.
In Gaza, the Christian community, which had
been gradually decreasing in size, encountered severe hardships due to the
ongoing conflict. The brutality of the war was brought into sharp focus when an
air raid led to the tragic deaths of at least 16 Palestinian Christians and
inflicted significant damage on the St Porphyrius Church, one of the oldest
religious landmarks in Gaza City. The situation escalated when a Christian
mother and daughter, seeking refuge in a church compound, were killed, leading
Pope Francis to publicly denounce Israel's actions in Gaza as
"terrorism." This incident further accelerated the exodus of
Christians from Gaza, with church leaders reporting that around half of the
community had left since the war began.
The atmosphere in Jerusalem's Christian
quarter also shifted dramatically compared to previous years. The festive
sounds of Christmas carols were replaced with the continuous broadcast of the
Gaza conflict on Al Jazeera. Munther Isaac, the pastor of Bethlehem's Lutheran
church, aptly summarized the prevailing mood, noting that while the enthusiasm
for celebrations had waned, the community's commitment to prayer seemed to have
deepened.
Christians in the West Bank, including
Jerusalem, had faced challenges long before the latest conflict. These
difficulties were only exacerbated by the recent events. The process of
obtaining travel permits between Bethlehem and Jerusalem was complex and
unpredictable, posing a significant challenge for residents, including the
clergy. The Christian community also faced increasing pressure from a hostile
Jewish settler movement, which appeared to operate without significant
consequences. The separation wall and a series of Israeli settlements further
isolated Bethlehem from Jerusalem, deepening the Christians' sense of
alienation.
The Armenian community in Jerusalem found
themselves in a desperate struggle for survival as well. A real estate deal
with an Israeli developer posed a direct threat to their historical presence in
the city. The commencement of bulldozer operations served as a stark reminder
of the immediacy and gravity of this threat to both the Armenian and the
broader Christian presence in Jerusalem.
Yousef Daher of the World Council of Churches
in Jerusalem shed light on the intricate and often prolonged legal battles
faced by Palestinian Christians. For instance, if a Palestinian Christian
residing in Jerusalem married someone from the West Bank, they faced a
daunting, lengthy process to secure residency permits. This bureaucratic maze
often forced couples to make challenging decisions about where to live. These
policies had a substantial impact on the demographic composition of the city,
with the Christian population in Jerusalem dwindling from around 24,000 before
the 1967 war to just 9,000.
Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer and
expert on Jerusalem, offered a grim analysis of the situation. He described the
challenges facing the Christian population in Jerusalem as the most severe
since the formation of the state of Israel in 1948. This crisis was largely
attributed to the Israeli authorities' view of Jerusalem as an exclusively
Jewish city. Seidemann's observation that the Palestinian Christian population
might be more prevalent in the diaspora, in places like Illinois or Michigan,
than in East Jerusalem, highlighted the dire situation of the Christian
community in this historically and religiously significant region. The exodus
of Palestinian Christians, driven by the compounded pressures of conflict,
legal challenges, and social isolation, indicated a bleak future for what was
once a thriving community in the heart of the Holy Land.
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