“This war stopped everything.” Church leaders in Jerusalem and the Bethlehem city council took the decision last month to forego “any unnecessarily festive” Christmas celebrations in ...

On Christmas Eve 2024, Bethlehem’s usually vibrant streets were uncharacteristically subdued. The checkpoint from east Jerusalem was almost empty, and those arriving by car found few shops open.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — In the little town of Bethlehem, Christmas this year is barely a whisper. Palestinian scouts paraded through the streets but without their traditional instruments of drums ...