BELN.- “It’s usually full of tourists,” explains Abood Suboh, in his shop. Bel. But, at the gates of Christmas, pilgrims have disappeared from the birthplace of Christ, since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hams.
“The war stopped everything,” this 30-year-old merchant who sells scarves and bags tells AFP, alluding to the bombings and fighting between the Israeli army and the Palestinian Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli bombings have left more than 18,800 dead in the small territory controlled by Hamas, author of the unprecedented massacre on October 7 on Israeli soil, in which 1,140 people died.
With no signs of a new truce in the coming days, after the humanitarian pause in November, Christmas is shaping up to be a few days of mourning in this city in the occupied West Bank where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus Christ was born.
Tourist attraction in Beln
The Church of the Nativity, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, normally attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year.
Now the cars are parked in the square where pilgrims should be and the hotels are empty.
The religious authorities renounced any uselessly festive celebrations in solidarity with the Palestinians suffering in Gaza.
Violence has also escalated in the West Bank, with almost 300 Palestinians killed at the hands of Israeli forces or settlers since October 7, according to Palestinian authorities.
The municipality limits the provisions to strict Christian rituals, such as the Christmas Eve mass.
“Like in a prison”
“We make 80% of our annual income in this period,” says Jack Giacaman, who works producing wooden religious items for a souvenir shop.
The workshop, just behind the shop, is empty and you can see some unfinished figurines.
“Why hire? Bethlehem is totally closed everywhere,” he says, referring to the Israeli checkpoints that restrict movement in the West Bank.
Last year, Giacaman had to take out a loan to survive after the pandemic. Now he has to do the math again.
“We made a calculation in three years to cover the losses, but now we don’t know how to end the year,” he laments, facing the empty streets of the historic center of this city, where Christians and Muslims normally coexist.
“Dangerous Palestinians”
The frightening rhetoric of the Israeli leaders is to blame, says Fadi Kattan. This Franco-Palestinian chef can’t stand the cliché that all Palestinians are dangerous.
“It’s as if there was an invisible line that prevents pilgrims from venturing off the marked trails, because of what the Israeli tour operators say,” he says from the terrace of a house that already belonged to his great-grandfather.
But, more than ever, it is necessary to confront visitors with the daily reality of Palestinians, proposes Greek Orthodox priest Issa Thaljieh.
“Visiting the holy places is good, but the most important thing is to discover how to survive in a prison, in a territory occupied by Israel since the 1967 war.”
FUENTE: AFP
