Bethlehem Revives Christmas After Two-Year Pause

Bethlehem, the West Bank city revered as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, revived its Christmas celebrations on Wednesday for the first time in two years, drawing thousands of locals and visitors to Manger Square amid a towering Christmas tree and festive parades. The event marked a tentative return to normalcy following the Gaza war that began in October 2023, with municipal leaders emphasizing messages of hope and peace despite ongoing regional tensions.

The festivities kicked off with a traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and top Catholic leader in the Holy Land. Crossing the separation wall, Pizzaballa called for a "Christmas full of light" after two years of darkness. Upon arriving in Manger Square, he addressed a diverse crowd of Christians and Muslims, bearing greetings from Gaza's small Christian community, where he had conducted a pre-Christmas Mass days earlier. "We, all together, we decide to be the light, and the light of the world is the light of Bethlehem," he said, highlighting a shared desire to rebuild amid devastation.

For the first time since the war, the city's iconic...