Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Thousands Mark Christmas in West Bank Town of Bethlehem
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
December 24, 2019

Share

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Thousands of Christian pilgrims on Tuesday flocked to the West Bank town of Bethlehem, celebrating Christmas Eve in the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

“We love this opportunity. We have 40 people and many of them are from the U.S. and other countries. They come to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.” — Roger Hoagland, a Christian educator and missionary from Louisville, Kentucky
Visitors converged on the town’s large Christmas tree in Manger Square, near the spot believed to mark Jesus’ birthplace. Uniformed Palestinian scouts wearing yellow and gold capes paraded past assembled visitors, the sound of drums and bagpipes filling the cool, clear air. Vendors hawked snacks and holiday gifts, adding to the festive atmosphere.
Roger Hoagland, a Christian educator and missionary from Louisville, Kentucky, said he had come to lead a Baptist choir for a fourth time and described his visit as the experience of a lifetime.
“We love this opportunity,” he said. “We have 40 people and many of them are from the U.S. and other countries. They come to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.”
While Bethlehem is in the Palestinian-administered area of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Israel’s imposing separation barrier encloses parts of the city and is a constant reminder of the complex political reality. Most of the Christmas Eve visitors appeared to be local residents, with foreign pilgrims seeming to make up a modest portion of the crowd.
Photo of Palestinian Scout marching band
A Palestinian Scout marching band parades during Christmas celebrations outside the Church of the Nativity, built atop the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank City of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Bethlehem Has Invested Heavily in Tourism

Still, the celebrations capped the most successful year in history for Palestinian tourism, according to Tourism Minister Rula Maayah.
Bethlehem — located just outside of Jerusalem — has invested heavily in tourism. It’s built new hotels and tried to diversify itself by offering culinary and cultural destinations in addition to its traditional holy sites.
Maayah estimated that some 15,000 pilgrims were staying overnight in Bethlehem’s fully booked hotels this Christmas. Tourists were also staying in other West Bank towns, such as Ramallah and Jericho, in addition to Jerusalem.
In all, she said the number of foreign tourists visiting the West Bank this year is estimated to reach 3.5 million people, up from 3 million last year.
Christmas festivities are typically a boost for Bethlehem’s flagging economy and for the Holy Land’s dwindling Christian population, which has shrunk over the decades as people fled conflict and searched for better opportunities abroad.

Photo of a visitor lighting candles
A visitor lights a candle at the Church of the Nativity built on top of the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank City of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Pizzaballa Was to Celebrate Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity

“Our message this year is that Christmas is a message of joy,” Maayah said. “But of course we are celebrating Christmas while we are still under occupation. We hope that we will celebrate Christmas joyfully next year with the end of occupation so that we could celebrate like all other nations in our independent country without occupation.”

“Our message this year is that Christmas is a message of joy. But of course we are celebrating Christmas while we are still under occupation. We hope that we will celebrate Christmas joyfully next year with the end of occupation so that we could celebrate like all other nations in our independent country without occupation.” — Tourism Minister Rula Maayah
The Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus was born, was set to host Palestinian dignitaries and pilgrims from around the world for a midnight Mass.
Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the head Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, had crossed an Israeli army checkpoint from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, where he was greeted by prominent members of Bethlehem’s Christian community. Pizzaballa was to celebrate midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity, which houses the grotto revered as Jesus’ birthplace.
Pizzaballa said that he draws hope from the “desire, especially in the youth, to do something for their societies, families.”
“This is my hope, is that these people can make Christmas not just today, but everyday, because that’s what we need,” he said.
[activecampaign form=29]

DON'T MISS

UCLA Can’t Let Protesters Block Jewish Students From Campus, Judge Says

DON'T MISS

Ukraine’s Surprise Attack Has Forced Russia to Change Plans

DON'T MISS

Californians Will Vote on $18 Minimum Wage. Workers Want $25 and More.

DON'T MISS

Ricardo Lara Deserves Credit for Trying to Solve California’s Home Insurance Crisis

DON'T MISS

Mark Gardner on Giants’ 2014 World Series Title, Why Fresno Turns Out Great Players

DON'T MISS

Presented With Rise in Border Crossings, Kamala Harris Chose a Long-Term Approach to the Problem

DON'T MISS

WHO Declares Mpox Outbreaks in Africa a Global Health Emergency as a New Form of the Virus Spreads

DON'T MISS

What the Republican Party Might Look Like if Trump Loses

DON'T MISS

Vikings QB McCarthy Needs Surgery on Meniscus Tear in Right Knee

DON'T MISS

Japan’s Prime Minister Prepares to Step Down. Why, and What’s Next?

UP NEXT

WHO Declares Mpox Outbreaks in Africa a Global Health Emergency as a New Form of the Virus Spreads

UP NEXT

Japan’s Prime Minister Prepares to Step Down. Why, and What’s Next?

UP NEXT

Ukraine Says It Has Taken More Ground and Prisoners During Its Advance Into Russia Border Region

UP NEXT

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Leave Children Without Parents and Parents Without Children

UP NEXT

Police Investigate Fatal Shooting in Southeast Fresno

UP NEXT

Leaked Videos Reveal Project 2025’s Radical Plans for Trump-like Administration

UP NEXT

Former Cornell Student Gets 21 Months in Prison for Posting Violent Threats to Jewish Students

UP NEXT

Iran Rejects European Leaders’ Call to Refrain From Any Retaliatory Attacks

UP NEXT

Iran’s Vice President Resigns, Signaling Deep Divisions as Cabinet Takes Shape

UP NEXT

Top Ukrainian Commander Says His Forces Now Control Almost 390 Square Miles of Russia’s Kursk Region

Ricardo Lara Deserves Credit for Trying to Solve California’s Home Insurance Crisis

2 hours ago

Mark Gardner on Giants’ 2014 World Series Title, Why Fresno Turns Out Great Players

3 hours ago

Presented With Rise in Border Crossings, Kamala Harris Chose a Long-Term Approach to the Problem

3 hours ago

WHO Declares Mpox Outbreaks in Africa a Global Health Emergency as a New Form of the Virus Spreads

3 hours ago

What the Republican Party Might Look Like if Trump Loses

4 hours ago

Vikings QB McCarthy Needs Surgery on Meniscus Tear in Right Knee

4 hours ago

Japan’s Prime Minister Prepares to Step Down. Why, and What’s Next?

4 hours ago

Ukraine Says It Has Taken More Ground and Prisoners During Its Advance Into Russia Border Region

4 hours ago

Michigan’s Sherrone Moore Looks Forward to Release of Text Messages in Sign-Stealing Investigation

5 hours ago

Fresno State Foundation Gets $8M Federal Grant to Boost Graduation Rate

5 hours ago

UCLA Can’t Let Protesters Block Jewish Students From Campus, Judge Says

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily barred the University of California, Los Angeles, from allowing protesters to set up encampments that...

1 hour ago

1 hour ago

UCLA Can’t Let Protesters Block Jewish Students From Campus, Judge Says

1 hour ago

Ukraine’s Surprise Attack Has Forced Russia to Change Plans

2 hours ago

Californians Will Vote on $18 Minimum Wage. Workers Want $25 and More.

2 hours ago

Ricardo Lara Deserves Credit for Trying to Solve California’s Home Insurance Crisis

3 hours ago

Mark Gardner on Giants’ 2014 World Series Title, Why Fresno Turns Out Great Players

3 hours ago

Presented With Rise in Border Crossings, Kamala Harris Chose a Long-Term Approach to the Problem

3 hours ago

WHO Declares Mpox Outbreaks in Africa a Global Health Emergency as a New Form of the Virus Spreads

4 hours ago

What the Republican Party Might Look Like if Trump Loses

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend