'I'm a Christian living in Bethlehem but, this year, Christmas is cancelled'
With the unspeakable suffering in Gaza, it is difficult to write anything at all this Christmas season. Bethlehem is not in the Gaza Strip, but it’s not far away and Christmas celebrations and illuminations are mostly cancelled here.
The war has turned into a famine and disease war. There are people who have had to flee seven times in the small strip. It leaves you with a feeling of numbness. Many people in the West Bank and Bethlehem find it tough to focus on everyday tasks.
Life goes on, but the images and stories of suffering are hard to absorb and leave you with an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. Bethlehem is in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel and governed by the Palestinian Authority (not Hamas).
Not many people from the West Bank have been able to visit Gaza recently, but it is less than 50 miles away and quite a few have extended family members there. In the West Bank, Palestinians of all faiths feel a common bond with people in Gaza. They feel that part of their country is dying.
The deserted Nativity Church in the biblical city of Bethlehem (Getty)More than 60% of the houses in Gaza are destroyed and almost two million people have been forced from their homes. Here in Bethlehem, the Lutheran Church has created a nativity scene with baby Jesus amidst a destroyed house. “If Jesus were born now, it would be in Gaza.”
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For older Palestinians in the West Bank who could once go there, Gaza still holds associations. I remember when I taught at a women’s institute in the 1990s. The young women were full of eagerness to learn. My hotel was in the prosperous Zeitoun district – now destroyed.
The buildings we see levelled in Gaza aren’t just lumps of concrete. I was struck by the pride in houses for Gazan families, and how well cared for they were. There is a lot of sand on the streets in Gaza, but visiting a family’s home, the place was spotless – a lot of hard work went into making sure all the sand (including from my shoes) remained outside!
I have lived in Bethlehem for over 25 years. My wife and daugh-ter are Palestinian Christians. Christmas is usually such a joyful time in Bethlehem: with festivities from markets in the city to cultural and musical events. There are lots of lights and decorations all over the main streets of Bethlehem. But this year most of them have been cancelled.
Toine van Teeffelen says Palestinians of all faiths feel a common bond with people in GazaOn Christmas Eve, processions usually travel through Bethlehem to the Church of the Nativity – with hundreds of young people from Galilee and elsewhere. It will be a diminished procession this year, with few tourists, and people won’t be going onto their balconies to cheer the passing parade. Masses will lack their usual festive atmosphere.
Life for Palestinians in the West Bank is tough. There are many Israeli settlements neighbouring Bethlehem – despite being illegal under international humanitarian law – and they encroach on Palestinian land. Separation barriers restrict freedom of movement and farmers’ lands are sometimes made inaccessible by restrictions imposed by the Israeli army.
There has been an escalation of violent attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7. There have been many stories of humiliations by Israeli soldiers and settlers. A student sighed in front of a soldier in Jerusalem and had her ID confiscated as punishment.
A large group of bus travellers was delayed for an hour at a checkpoint after someone dared to laugh. Soldiers inquire about mobile phones to check for inappropriate “likes” on social media. Punishment, whether physical or otherwise, follows. During the day, it is still possible to travel from one city to another in the West Bank, but as darkness falls, it becomes too dangerous.
A child in front of the separation wall in Bethlehem (AEI)There are many checkpoints in the West Bank. People are afraid of going through them and want to avoid possible threats, humiliations or being blacklisted. The consequence of fear and travel restrictions is stagnation for the economy in the West Bank.
People are losing jobs. Palestinians who travel to Israel for work are not allowed to, and those who go to the countryside to harvest olive trees are afraid to leave the cities. Income has collapsed. The organisation I work for, supported in the UK by the Catholic aid agency CAFOD, has been working with people in Bethlehem affected by the conflict in Gaza and violence in the West Bank. It holds workshops, candlelight vigils and prayer sessions in support of those affected.
Young Palestinians we work with of all faiths are facing really challenging times. Just to get to school or our workshops they may have to pass military checkpoints. Yet Christmas time reminds us that new life is possible and that there can be hope in the darkness.
Woman falls to death from 60ft-high flat window putting up Christmas decorations
A Christmas decoration on a tree in the Arab Educational Institute office (AEI)Many Palestinians, Israelis and friends in the UK and elsewhere are promoting peace through dialogue, and praying for peace in the Holy Land this Christmas. We ask all individuals of goodwill to join in reflecting on the true essence of Christmas: humanity.
* Toine van Teeffelen works for the Arab Educational Institute in Bethlehem, supported in the UK by the aid agency CAFOD.
* Donate to CAFOD’s Israeli-Palestinian Crisis Appeal.
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