People gather next to the Christmas tree at Manger Square in Bethlehem (Pictur credit: AP)
BETHLEHEM: Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit. The giant Christmas tree that was absent during the Israel-Hamas war returned Wednesday, overlooking a parade of scouts playing songs on bagpipes.The city where Christians believe Jesus was born cancelled Christmas celebrations for the past two years. Manger Square had instead featured a nativity scene of baby Jesus surrounded by rubble and barbed wire in homage to the situation in Gaza. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, top Catholic leader in the Holy Land, kicked off this year’s celebrations during the traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, calling for “a Christmas full of light”.
Arriving in Manger Square, Pizzaballa said he came bearing greetings from Gaza’s tiny Christian community, where he held a pre-Christmas Mass on Sunday. Among the devastation, he saw a desire to rebuild.“We, all together, we decide to be the light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world,” he told thousands of people, Christian and Muslim.Despite the holiday cheer, the impact of the war in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is acute, especially in Bethlehem, where around 80% of the Muslim-majority city’s residents depend upon tourism-related businesses. The vast majority of people celebrating were residents, with a handful of foreigners. Some residents said they are starting to see signs of change as tourism slowly returns. “Today is a day of joy, a day of hope, beginning of the return of normal life here,” said Bethlehem resident Georgette Jackaman, a tour guide who has not worked in more than two years.A visitor from France, Mona Riewer, said “I came because I wanted to better understand what people in Palestine are going through, and you can sense people have been through a very hard time.” Fadi Zoughbi, who previously worked overseeing logistics for tour groups, said his children were ecstatic to see marching bands streaming through the streets.Irene Kirmiz, who grew up in Bethlehem and now lives in Ramallah, said the scout parade is among her favourite Christmas traditions. Her daughter, 15, plays the tenor drum with the Ramallah scouts. Her family had to wake up at 5am to arrive in time for the parade and waited upwards of three hours at Israeli checkpoints. “It’s very emotional seeing people trying to bounce back, trying to celebrate peace and love.”
