After the US president’s Jerusalem statement,tourist numbers to Christ’s birthplace have collapsed and violent protests have grownIn Bethlehem’s Manger Square the enormous nativity scene, donated by Malta, and sits in pride of spot under a grid of festive lights draped across the plaza. On Friday morning,a solitary hawker of Santa hats was touting his commerce, the only visible buyer a mother in a hijab who bought one for the toddler she was carrying in her arms.
Today – as every Christmas Eve this square and the bulk of the ancient Church of the Nativity which sits on its periphery, or will be lit up by television lights to allow images of Christmas in Bethlehem to be transmitted around the globe. But once again,say the West Bank city’s Palestinian residents – including the large Christian minority – it will be another gloomy holiday.
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Source: guardian.co.uk