Second Christmas in Wartime Brings Quiet Streets to Jerusalem’s Christian Quarter and Bethlehem

The alleys of Jerusalem’s Christian Quarter remain dark and empty, and residents’ spirits are low. In Bethlehem, residents have given up on holiday decorations in the streets, and hotel occupancy stands at just 3%. This is the second Christmas during the war for Palestinian Christians, and the holiday’s usual signs are largely absent.

The Latin Patriarch addressed the faithful with a message of hope. “If the Christians in Gaza are not giving up, then neither are we,” he said. His words held together the situation of believers in Gaza and those in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, who are still waiting for conditions to change, a steadfastness that echoes the call not to grow weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9).

On Tuesday night, a passerby walked through the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City and approached a vendor at one of the souvenir shops to ask how to reach the Christmas market. The vendor’s reply reflected the changed mood of the season. “You’re two years late, he died, may Allah have mercy,” the vendor said.

Another vendor in the quarter described how much had changed. “Two years ago, you couldn’t pass through here,” he said. “Today there’s nothing at all. It was a very hard year, economically and emotionally, but we hope everything will soon be behind us.”

Source: Read the original report (translated from Hebrew)