Anxiety and Hope Mark Advent for Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem, West Bank

A stenciled picture of Mary and the baby Jesus, both with barbed wire for halos, appears on the concrete separation wall in Bethlehem, the city where Christ was born. Painted amid Palestinian protest graffiti on the wall, which is about two decades old, it carries a blunt warning: “CAUTION: BALLISTIC PROTECTION REQUIRED.” The image is a symbol of the continued limbo of Christians in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

The reporting describes a season shaped by several pressures. These include Israel’s lingering military occupation of the West Bank, the vulnerability of civilians, and the uncertainty of a still-shaky ceasefire in Gaza. The period since Hamas’ abductions and murders of Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, also weighs heavily. Some international bodies and human rights groups, including some in Israel, call Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide. The Israeli government denies this charge.

There are some signs of hope. Public Christmas festivities, including holiday lights in Bethlehem and other locations, are returning after two years of absence. Some observers also say that a small number of visitors are returning to the Holy Land. Italian Comboni Sr. Mariolina Cattaneo, interim coordinator for a small community of Comboni Missionary Sisters based in East Jerusalem, said, “We see that more pilgrims are coming to visit Jerusalem and Bethlehem, so we are happy about it because a bit of life is returning.”

Mexican Comboni Sr. Lorena Sesatty, a trained therapist who works in Bethlehem and lives in Cattaneo’s community, echoed that view. She said the return of Christian pilgrims is particularly welcome because they “not only support local families economically but also spiritually and emotionally, helping them feel truly seen.”

Being seen matters at this moment, said the Rev. Munther Isaac, a prominent Palestinian theologian, Lutheran pastor and author. He told a visiting group of journalists and scholars, most from the U.S., that the last two years have traumatized Palestinians, with many feeling “that our lives don’t matter.” Citing the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, as reported by the BBC, the article says at least 70,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israel’s military offensive there.

Mitri Raheb, another prominent Palestinian Christian theologian who also met the delegation, said Bethlehem “is where the divine met the human.” He described the city as a “beacon of hope” for Christians of all denominations.

Hope exists alongside concern. Cattaneo said attacks on Palestinian communities by Israeli settlers in the West Bank have increased “in numbers and violence.” She added, “the situation is still so very uncertain and we need to rebuild — rebuild first of all relationship, trust,” a call that points to the work of living at peace with others (Romans 12:18). Cattaneo stressed the word uncertainty: “We do not know what is going to happen or how the situation will evolve.”

Christian leaders often cite figures suggesting the Christian presence in the Holy Land may disappear by the year 2050. The article says this is due in large part to emigration caused by ongoing political and social tensions.

Source: Read the original report