There is no Christmas tree in Bethlehem’s main square, no holiday decorations, and no foreign tourists who fill the city’s streets every year during the Christmas season.
In the empty square, only dozens of Palestinian security forces fighters can be seen patrolling there.
Although the traditional scene of the birth of Jesus is decorated in the square, it is surrounded by barbed wire this year.
On Sunday, souvenir shops did not rush to open their doors either, although gradually, after the rain ended, some of them started working. But there are few buyers.
In the restaurant “Afteem”, which is located just a few steps from the central square of Bethlehem and where it is usually impossible to find even a single free seat on Christmas, only one table was occupied on Sunday, but journalists who sought shelter from the rain settled at the same table.
The owner of the restaurant complains that his income has decreased to 15% of the normal turnover and he is no longer able to cover his expenses.
The cancellation of the Christmas celebrations is a severe blow to Bethlehem’s economy, as tourism accounts for about 70% of the city’s revenue, and almost all of that comes during the Christmas season.
More than 70 hotels have already been forced to close, leaving several thousand people unemployed.
2023-12-24 10:33:00
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