Somber Christmas in Bethlehem in the shadow of Gaza war

According to the Christian Christmas story, Jesus was born in a lowly stable in Bethlehem because there was no more room in the local inns. Around 2,000 years later, almost all of Bethlehem's 5,000 hotel rooms are empty.

There is a lack of tourists, which is not only a problem for the hotels, but also for local stores. Ramzi Sabella runs a small store within sight of the Church of the Nativity. He can personally remember almost every tourist who has come through the door this year. "There was a guest from Nigeria here a few weeks ago," he recalls.

He's normally very busy, especially during the Christmas period. Christian pilgrims from all over the world buy chargers for cell phones and selfie sticks from him. But in times of war, everything is different. "Now only a few locals come by sometimes, and they usually buy the cheapest products. They don't have any money either," Sabella told DW.

Residents are leaving Bethlehem

Since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, the economy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Bethlehem is located, has suffered a massive slump. Tourism has been the city's main source of income for decades but according to the local hotel association, the bed occupancy rate has fallen from around 80% shortly before the war to just 3% today.

The mood is also gloomy on the large Nativity Square in front of the Church of the Nativity. Normally, loud Christmas music blares out from here through the entire old town of Bethlehem. But this year there is silence: No Christmas carols, no Christmas tree, no decorations. Only a few journalists have come to the square to report on the sad event.

Only a few journalists have come to report from Bethlehem's Nativity Square Image: Jan-Philipp Scholz/DW

This is already the second year that Christmas has been overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war. According to local authorities, almost 500 families have emigrated from Bethlehem in recent months  — a considerable number given that the population is only around 30,000. And these are just the official figures. Many more, the remaining residents say, have left on temporary tourist visas and are trying to eke out a living abroad with odd jobs.

'A message to the whole world'

But growing poverty is only one part of the story. No one here feels like celebrating anyway, since tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. "We are praying in silence this year — and we want to send a message to the whole world," explains Issa Musleh, a priest at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Bethlehem. "We deeply condemn what is currently happening in Gaza."

The mood in Bethlehem and the rest of the West Bank has become increasingly tense since the outbreak of the war. It's a tension felt by the 50,000 or so Christians as well as the Muslim majority in the region under Israeli occupation.

Especially now at Christmas, everyone should remember that Jesus was born in Bethlehem to call people to peace, said the Greek Orthodox priest. According to the United Nations, more than 700 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the war began. In the same period, 23 Israelis have died in the violence.

Priest Issa Musleh of Bethlehem's Greek Orthodox Patriarchate called for peaceImage: Jan-Philipp Scholz/DW

Under these circumstances, Christians in the region are finding it harder than ever to believe in the hopeful Christmas message. Yet the people of Bethlehem have long proven that peaceful coexistence is possible, says waiter Nadeem, as he watches the sombre events in front of the Church of the Nativity from his empty café at the top of a nearby hill.

He is a Muslim, but goes to a Christian university. Before the war, he often traveled to Israel, just a few kilometers away, where he had many Jewish friends. "Actually, we all want the same thing," says Nadeem: A simple life in peace.

This article was originally written in German.