ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
For the second year in a row, official Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem are canceled. Palestinians in the city deemed the birthplace of Jesus say they cannot rejoice while the war rages on in Gaza. And they say Israel's wartime restrictions where they live in the occupied West Bank have devastated their economy and livelihood. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.
(SOUNDBITE OF WHISTLE BEING BLOWN)
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Local boy scouts holding Palestinian flags march quietly through the city's narrow stone streets. One scout blows a lone whistle.
(SOUNDBITE OF WHISTLE BEING BLOWN)
KAHN: Bells ring out onto Manger Square as a girl scout troop sings solemnly. The sparse crowd of spectators watch on.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL SCOUTS: (Singing in non-English language).
KAHN: Christmas in Bethlehem again this year is sad. The Latin patriarch, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, tells the crowd...
PIERBATTISTA PIZZABALLA: But I want to tell you - take courage.
UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: (Speaking non-English language).
PIZZABALLA: Don't be afraid.
UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: (Speaking non-English language).
PIZZABALLA: We will not allow the war to cancel our lives.
KAHN: Pizzaballa just returned from Gaza, where he says even among the devastation of 14 months of war, he saw resiliency. According to health officials there, more than 45,000 people have been killed by Israel's military.
PIZZABALLA: We also - we don't give up.
UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: (Speaking non-English language).
PIZZABALLA: Never.
UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: (Speaking non-English language).
KAHN: Unemployment in the West Bank has soared since October of 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people, according to authorities. Palestinians from the West Bank are barred from working inside Israel, and their travel is also greatly restricted. Hanna Hanania is Bethlehem's vice mayor.
HANNA HANANIA: For us, it is not easy to accept this situation, because the birth of Jesus Christ is joyful, and we need to celebrate. But among all this situation and this aggression against our people, we couldn't celebrate.
KAHN: Israel insists the restrictions are vital for its security, but that has also scared away tourists, says shopkeeper Nadim Michels.
NADIM MICHELS: It is hard for us, because, you know, our business for tourism.
KAHN: Michels' souvenir shop is right off Manger Square, but it's empty. No one is coming to buy his rosary beads or olive-wood crosses. He says he doesn't even open during the week anymore, and is getting by off savings and prayer.
MICHELS: Thanks God. We pray every day, with the praying - the rosary, as we are Catholic. Jesus the savior.
KAHN: According to the World Bank, the West Bank's economy has shrunk by 26% this year. Nearly half of workers don't have a job.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHURCH BELLS RINGING)
KAHN: Pastor Isaac Munther, of the Lutheran Christmas Church, says many families have given up. The tiny Christian community here is getting smaller, he says.
ISAAC MUNTHER: But those of us who stayed are very defiant, very resilient. We are committed to keeping the Christian witness in the land where it all started.
KAHN: Hotels are empty. There are few decorations up. No towering Christmas tree lighting up the square, says the Latin Patriarch Pizzaballa.
PIZZABALLA: We don't have lights, but we are light.
UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: (Speaking non-English language).
PIZZABALLA: Merry Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: (Speaking non-English language).
(CHEERING)
KAHN: Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Bethlehem. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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