On Christmas Eve, Bethlehem resembles a ghost town as celebrations are halted due to Israel-Hamas war.
Bethlehem, West Bank AP The typically bustling Biblical birthplace of Jesus resembled a ghost town Sunday after Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel-Hamas war. The festive lights and Christmas tree that normally decorate Manger Square were missing, as were the throngs of foreign tourists and jubilant youth marching bands that gather in […]
“Worst Christmas ever” in birthplace of Jesus as impact of war empties Bethlehem
Bethelehem, West BankReuters Bethlehem is normally at its busiest at Christmas but this year war has scared away tourists and pilgrims from the Palestinian town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, leaving hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops deserted. With global headlines dominated since 7th October by news of the Hamas attacks in southern Israel, followed by […]
Bethlehem pastors arrive in Washington, urge lawmakers to embrace cease-fire, peace plan
Washington DC, USRNS A trio of Christian leaders are visiting the US capital carrying a letter signed by churches in Bethlehem, the city in the occupied West Bank long heralded by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, urging President Joe Biden and congressional lawmakers to push for a permanent cease fire in Gaza and […]
Cancelled tours, empty hotels: Israeli, Palestinian tourism reels as conflict escalates
Bethlehem/JerusalemReuters Early this month, the main square and streets around Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity were bustling with tourists. Now they are empty after a devastating attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas in Israel on 7th October. “Business is at a standstill since the war started,” said Essa Abu Dawoud, a tour guide in the […]
Orthodox celebrate Christmas in shadow of conflict
Moscow, Russia AP Orthodox Christians packed churches on Friday evening for Christmas Eve services, a holiday darkened for many by the conflict raging between Orthodox neighbours Russia and Ukraine. Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, the world’s largest Orthodox denomination, led elaborate services at Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral, with dozens of priests […]
Bethlehem rebounds from pandemic, lifting Christmas spirits
Updated 3:30pm (AEST) Bethlehem, West Bank AP The Biblical town of Bethlehem marked a merry Christmas on Saturday, with thousands of visitors descending upon the traditional birthplace of Jesus as it rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic. Tourism is the economic lifeblood of this town in the occupied West Bank, and for the past two years, […]
Gaza Christians say travel curbs separate families at Christmas
GazaReuters As pilgrims from around the world flock to Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Nazareth for Christmas, members of Gaza’s Christian community wait to hear whether Israel will grant them a travel permit. This year, Israeli authorities have approved travel for nearly 600 Palestinian Christians in Gaza, according to COGAT, a unit in Israel’s defence ministry that […]
Postcards: Bethlehem welcomes Christmas tourists after pandemic lull
SAM MCNEIL, of Associated Press, reports from the birthplace of Christ…
Essay: Who were the three “wise men” who visited Jesus?
ERIC VANDEN EYKEL, an associate professor of religious studies at Ferrum College, looks – in an article first published on The Conversation – at the identity of the three “magi” mentioned in Matthew’s Gospel…
COVID puts a damper on Christmas Eve again around the world
AP From Bethlehem and Frankfurt to London and Boston, the surging coronavirus put a damper on Christmas Eve for a second year, forcing churches to cancel or scale back services and disrupting travel plans and family gatherings. Drummers and bagpipers marched through Bethlehem – the town where Christians believe Jesus was born – to smaller […]