The city of Bethlehem has cancelled its Christmas celebration for the year 2023. This is contrary to the traditional practice of the people of Bethlehem.
This has raised the public’s attention as Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus Christ whom Christians celebrate his birth on 25th December as a memorial. Bethlehem is a Palestinian town in the West Bank located 10 kilometers to the South of Jerusalem.
Bishop William Shomali, the General Vicar and Patriarch Vicar for Jerusalem explained that the Israel-Gaza is the reason for the postponement of the Christmas celebration.
The mail guardian reads:
“How can we celebrate Christmas when thousands of Palestinians got killed and injured and thousands of houses were destroyed in Gaza?”
This was a collective decision taken by the Christian denomination leaders in Palestine.
