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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Politics

Bethlehem marks melancholic Christmas for second year in shadow of Gaza war

Palestinian scouts hold signs before the arrival of Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem to attend Christmas events, near the Church of Nativity in the Old City of Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank [Mussa Qawasma/Reuters]

Bethlehem, the city in the occupied West Bank that Christians believe is the birthplace of Jesus Christ, marks another solemn Christmas under the shadow of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

On Christmas Eve on Tuesday, the town was bereft of its usual holiday cheer, with no lights nor a giant tree adorning its central Manger Square, no crowds of tourists, and no marching youth bands that otherwise mark the occasion.

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