Bethlehem marks melancholic Christmas for second year in shadow of Gaza war

The excitement and cheer that typically descends on town in the occupied West Bank on Christmas are nowhere to be found.

Bethlehem, the city in the occupied West Bank that Christians believe is the birthplace of Jesus Christ, marks another solemn Christmas under the shadow of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

On Christmas Eve on Tuesday, the town was bereft of its usual holiday cheer, with no lights nor a giant tree adorning its central Manger Square, no crowds of tourists, and no marching youth bands that otherwise mark the occasion.

“This year, we limited our joy,” Bethlehem mayor Anton Salman told the AFP news agency.