Palestinian officials are taking apart Christmas decorations in Bethlehem, the city of Christ’s birth, and will not allow the tree and lights traditionally put up over the holiday to go up.
“Bethlehem Municipality crews [are] dismantling of Christmas decorations installed several years ago in the city’s neighborhoods and removing all festive appearances in honor of the martyrs and in solidarity with our people in Gaza,” the officials stated.
“The reason is the general situation in Palestine; people are not really into any celebration, they are sad, angry and upset; our people in Gaza are being massacred and killed in cold blood,” a spokesman for the municipality explained to the British press.
“Therefore, it is not appropriate at all to have such festivities while there is a massacre happening in Gaza and attacks in the West Bank,” he added.
Over the last 50 years, Christians have declined from being over 80 percent of Bethlehem’s population to less than 20 percent, and they have received significant harassment from the Palestinian Authority and local Muslims despite an official policy of toleration.
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