Bethlehem plans another somber Christmas under the shadow of …
6 days ago · Today, nearly all of Bethlehem’s 5,500 hotel rooms are empty. The city’s hotel occupancy rate plunged from around 80% in early 2023 to around 3% today, said Elias Al Arja, the head of Bethlehem Hoteliers Association. At his own hotel, the Bethlehem Hotel, he said he has laid off a staff of more than 120 people and retains just five ...
Christmas in Bethlehem celebrated under the shadow of Israel's …
4 days ago · “Bethlehem is the capital of Christmas. It’s supposed to be the best time of the year. None of that is happening because we’re mourning,” one pastor in the city told NBC News.
Bethlehem Plans Another Somber Christmas Under the Shadow …
6 days ago · Today, nearly all of Bethlehem’s 5,500 hotel rooms are empty. The city’s hotel occupancy rate plunged from around 80% in early 2023 to around 3% today, said Elias Al Arja, the head of ...
Cities worldwide hold subdued Christmas Eve celebrations amid …
5 days ago · Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. ... The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate ...
Bethlehem's Christian community struggles to celebrate amid …
4 days ago · Bethlehem's Christian community struggles to celebrate amid ongoing Gaza war and West Bank tensions. The lack of tourism in the enshrined spot where baby Jesus was said to be born follows 14 ...
Bethlehem marks melancholic Christmas for second year in …
4 days ago · 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.
Bethlehem Faces Another Somber Wartime Christmas | TIME
5 days ago · Today, nearly all of Bethlehem’s 5,500 hotel rooms are empty. The city’s hotel occupancy rate plunged from around 80% in early 2023 to around 3% today, said Elias Al Arja, the head of ...
Another bleak Christmas in Bethlehem as Christian families quit …
Dec 1, 2024 · For a second year running, there is no Christmas cheer in Bethlehem, with tourists shunning the Palestinian city and many residents seeking a way out as the Gaza war grinds on.
On Christmas Eve, Bethlehem looks like a ghost town because of …
Dec 24, 2023 · The typically bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus looks like a ghost town on Christmas Eve, with celebrations in Bethlehem called off due to the Israel-Hamas war.
Bethlehem’s bombed-out nativity sculpture sends a powerful …
Dec 25, 2023 · Bethlehem’s bombed-out nativity sculpture sends a powerful message. The scene of a devastated nativity cave symbolises the plight of Christ’s family — and Palestinians now.