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Bethlehem: How still we see thee lie
Palestinian-Israeli conflict halts influx of Christmas pilgrims
12/22/2001
BETHLEHEM, West Bank – With Nasser Ailwi's job description, it would be
logical to assume he would be extremely busy at Christmas time.
Here in the town where Christians believe Jesus was born, Mr. Ailwi is a
licensed English-speaking guide at the Church of the Nativity, where a
14-pointed silver star placed in white marble marks the spot where the blessed
event is said to have occurred. As one of the oldest churches in the world and one of the most revered sites
in Christendom, it should be packed with pilgrims as Christmas Day approaches.
But Mr. Ailwi has not had a paying customer in days – tourism in Bethlehem has
collapsed completely, a casualty of the burgeoning Palestinian-Israeli conflict,
which brought pitched battles here in October. "We have Christmas in name only. We don't really have Christmas this year,"
Mr. Ailwi said. "There are no pilgrims, very few decorations, very few people in
the streets. Hardly anyone is coming here. We are alone." The scars of war are still visible throughout the town. The Paradise Hotel,
judged by the Israelis to be a base for terrorists, has been blasted to
smithereens, and the five-star Jacir Palace Intercontinental Hotel, which was
supposed to be the crown jewel of Bethlehem's economic revival, is badly damaged
and has been closed. On Manger Square, where the graceful Mosque of Omar sits close by the Church
of the Nativity, the stone walls of the Bethlehem Peace Center are lined with
posters honoring the 22 Palestinians who died in the October clashes, which
began after Israeli leaders said Bethlehem was a haven for terrorists firing
mortars at nearby Israeli towns. The Israeli forces moved in after Palestinian Authority police failed to
control the shelling of Israeli civilians. The military offensive was also aimed
at finding and arresting militants from the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, the group responsible for the Oct. 17 assassination of Israeli
Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi. Economic calamity "Bethlehem has never in its long history witnessed such bad times," he said.
"Of course tourism is affected by the insecurity. People are not coming, and we
have unemployment of 70 percent. Per capita income has dropped from $1,850 to
just $400." Israeli forces are maintaining a closure of Bethlehem that prevents workers
from getting to jobs in nearby Jerusalem, adding to the financial troubles, he
said, and the checkpoint also makes it harder for tourists to reach the city.
But the most important change from Christmases past, he said, has been the
glum and despondent atmosphere that pervades Bethlehem. "What is missing is peace, love, and joy," he said. "You don't see the smiles
on the faces of the children that you usually see this time of year. We tried to
do something for the children, we gave them presents, they ran up to get the
presents, but there were no smiles. It's horrible. The effect of the incursion
on children is very strong. They are still scared." Blaming both sides In his annual Christmas message, Patriarch Sabbah blamed both sides for the
cycle of violence that has made a mockery out of the Christmas spirit in
Bethlehem. He criticized Palestinians for using suicide bomb attacks against
Israeli civilians and also said the Israelis should ease their harsh closure of
Palestinian towns and villages. "What we need today in the Holy Land is not leaders who teach us to make war
and ask their people to accept sacrifices, including their lives, but leaders
who have visions of justice and peace," he said. Usually there are three gala Christmas celebrations here each year. Western
Christians celebrate on Dec. 25, the Greek Orthodox church marks the day on Jan.
7, and the Armenian Church uses Jan. 19. All three festivals are expected to be
extremely muted this year. Arafat may not attend The town's tourism industry peaked on Christmas Eve during the millennium
celebration, when dignitaries, entertainers and pilgrims from all over the world
gathered in Manger Square for gala festivities to commemorate the birth of
Jesus. More than $200 million had been spent on development projects in Bethlehem
geared toward the millennium celebrations. Factories producing olive wood
crèches opened, along with new hotels and restaurants, and the facelift created
many new jobs and brought hopes of better times. Now many of the factories are closing, and those that are staying open have
cut back drastically, said Issa Giacaman, owner of the Holy Lands Art Museum,
which sells a variety of olive wood carvings depicting religious scenes. "Until now we have had no Christmas at all," he said, surveying his nearly
empty store. "I have cut the people back from six days a week to three. Most of
the shops downtown are closing for the afternoons because no one is here. We had
a lot of tourists booked for hotels, but they canceled. They are afraid to
come." He said the religious tour groups that used to come in buses from Jerusalem
no longer visit. "It used to be a lot of Europeans and Americans coming once or
twice a day, but now there is no one," he said. Decorations are austere in such harsh times. The mayor still hopes to put
ornaments on the Bethlehem Christmas tree, but nothing elaborate is planned.
Some stores have left their illuminated Santa Clauses unplugged to save
electricity on days when there are literally no tourists in town. Some cheer left Earlier this week, 11th grade girls from the St. Joseph's School dressed as
Santa Claus and brought gifts to a number of elderly Bethlehem residents whose
houses had been damaged during the fighting. "We just want to cheer people up and spread good will," their teacher said.
Watching the girls skip down the street with buoyant smiles, it was possible
to imagine what Christmas in Bethlehem would be like in better times.