Bethlehem Cancels Its Christmas Rites Because of Uprising

This Palestinian town where tradition holds that Christ was born has canceled its traditional Christmas celebrations in solidarity with the nearly yearlong Arab revolt against Israeli occupation.

“We don’t see any reason to celebrate Christmas,” Deputy Mayor Hanna Nasser said Monday. “We have to show concern for our dead and for our detainees.”

Nearly 300 Palestinians have been killed and thousands have been arrested since the uprising began Dec. 9, 1987, in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, which Israel captured from Jordan and Egypt in 1967. Seven Israeli Jews have been slain.

Manger Square, usually decorated with bright strings of colored lights, will remain dark, and its 40-foot Christmas tree will be left bare, Nasser said.

Last Christmas, when the uprising was less than three weeks old, Bethlehem scaled back its observance. Only about 2,500 visitors came, 75% fewer than in 1986. Some were kept away by a driving rain, but others apparently feared the violence.