Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem on the occupied West Bank, stated that “the situation of Christians is the same as that of other Palestinians.”
“Everyone faces the threat of displacement within the framework of genocide. We never dreamed of celebrating Christmas while the genocide in Gaza has been ongoing for more than 14 months,” he stated.
“It is impossible to celebrate normally while Gaza is in this situation,” he added.
Isaac concluded, “Israel is targeting both Muslim and Christian presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.”
For the second year in a row, residents of Bethlehem are not celebrating Christmas, watching with pain what is happening to their compatriots in the besieged Gaza Strip.
As a result, no decorations have been put up in the city.
Even the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, quietly entered the main square, while members of the scout troop refrained from playing music as they usually do to mark the beginning of the Christmas celebrations.
Some of those scouts carried pictures depicting the events in Gaza.
PHOTO: RICK SNIZEK
