On Christmas eve, Bethlehem’s like a ghost town

BETHELEM: The typically dynamic scriptural birth place of Jesus looked like a ghost town on Sunday, as Christmas Eve events in Bethlehem were cancelled due to the Israel-Hamas war. The joyful lights and Christmas tree that generally embellish Manger Square were missing out on, as were the crowds of foreign travelers and joyous youth marching bands that collect in the West Bank town each year to mark the vacation. Lots of Palestinian security forces patrolled the empty square. “This year, without the Christmas tree and lights, there’s simply darkness,” stated Brother John Vinh, a Franciscan monk from Vietnam who has actually resided in Jerusalem for 6 years. He stated he constantly pertains to Bethlehem to mark Christmas, however this year was specifically sobering, as he looked at a nativity scene in Manger Square with an infant Jesus covered in a white shroud, similar to the countless kids eliminated in the battling in Gaza. The cancellation of Christmas celebrations is a serious blow to the town’s economy. Tourist represents an approximated 70% of Bethlehem’s earnings – practically all of that throughout the Christmas season. With numerous airline companies cancelling flights to Israel, couple of immigrants are going to. Regional authorities state over 70 hotels in Bethlehem have actually been required to close, leaving countless individuals out of work. Present stores were sluggish to open on Christmas Eve, although a f
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