Dec. 19 (UPI) — As Christmas Day approaches on Monday, the mood is subdued and the decorations are sparse in the biblical town of Bethlehem in the West Bank, as Israel’s war rages on with Hamas.
In solidarity with Palestinians who have been under Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Christians have canceled public Christmas celebrations in the town considered the birthplace of Jesus.
Holiday decorations have been dismantled and the Lutheran Church is displaying a nativity scene showing the baby Jesus amid rubble, symbolizing children killed in Gaza.
The Rev. Munther Isaac told al-Jazeera last week, “If Christ were to be born today, he would be born under the rubble and Israeli shelling. Bethlehem is sad and broken.”
The town is usually teeming with tourists this time of year. But instead, much of the Gaza Strip is in ruins.
In other parts of Israel, hotels are filled with 80,000 people who had to evacuate from the south and north of the country, not tourists. Israel’s Tourism Ministry had expected 4 million visitors this year, nearing 2019 levels. But war broke out during the busiest months for travel, including the winter holidays.
Ministry figures show 38,000 tourists entered Israel in November, compared to 370,000 last year during the same time.
Lufthansa airline and its subsidiaries Swiss and Austrian Airlines plan to resume flights to Israel in January. Most major carriers have paused service to Tel Aviv during the war.
U.S.-based Delta Airlines announced Monday that starting in January, it will offer a code-share agreement with EL AL Israel Airlines to allow Delta customers flying from North America to use EL AL’s nonstop services from New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and Fort Lauderdale to Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, Birthright Israel announced Monday it would resume its free, 10-day educational trips to Israel in January after suspending them earlier in the year.
The U.S. State Department’s travel advisory for Americans warns visitors to Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank of active military operations and rocket and mortar fire.
“Terrorist groups, lone-actor terrorists and other violent extremists continue plotting possible attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Terrorists and violent extremists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities,” according to the advisory.
