It’s a natural moment of joy for the Rev. Khader Khalilia — excitement, laughter, kisses — as his young daughters, in Christmas pajamas, open their presents. But this year, just thinking about it makes Khalilia feel guilty.
“I’m struggling,” said the Palestinian American pastor of Redeemer-St. John’s Lutheran Church in New York. “How can I do it while the Palestinian children are suffering, have no shelter or a place to lay their heads?”
Thousands of miles away near Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, Suzan Sahori worked with artisans to bring olive wood Christmas ornaments to homes across Australia, Europe and North America. But Sahori isn’t in the mood to celebrate: “We’re devastated, all those children, all those murders. “
In a time of classic rejoicing, many Palestinian Christians – in Bethlehem and beyond – are plagued by helplessness, pain and worry amid the war between Israel and Hamas. Some cry, push for an end to the war, fight to get their loved ones back. to safety or convenience in the message of hope of Christmas.
In the occupied West Bank, Sahori, executive director of Bethlehem Fair Trade Artisans, an organization that promotes craftsmanship, will pray for peace and justice. She’s grateful to be safe, but wonders if that could change. She’s also angry.
“The joy in my center was stolen,” he said. I said, ‘God, how do you allow all those young people to die?’ . . . I’m angry with God; I hope you’ll forgive me.
In better times, discover the unparalleled Christmas spirit in the Bethlehem area: it’s reflected in the songs that spread through the illuminated streets, the markets displaying decorations, and the enthusiasm of children, families, and tourists taking pictures with the towering Christmas trees.
Now everything is quieter, darker. The tree ceremonies he attended last year have been canceled.
The heads of churches in Jerusalem have urged congregations to forgo “any unnecessarily festive activities.” They encouraged priests and the faithful to focus on Christmas’ spiritual meaning and called for “fervent prayers for a just and lasting peace for our beloved Holy Land.”
Thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza, which began after Hamas’ killing and hostage-taking in Israel on 7 October.
A few days before Christmas, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said two Christian women inside a church in Gaza had been killed by Israeli sniper fire. The Israeli military said its troops were attacking Hamas militants in the area; He said he was investigating the incident and took the data very seriously.
Khalilia tries to comfort the one who is distraught in the midst of his distress.
“It’s hard to watch. It’s hard to do your job,” he said. “People need us in their suffering. “
He worries about family in the West Bank; a brother lost his income working for a hotel as travel cancellations pummelled tourism.
Khalilia, who’s from a town near Bethlehem, said his daughters will likely get fewer presents, with the savings going toward helping children in Gaza.
Many in the U.S., he said, don’t realize that Palestinian Christians exist — some ask if he converted from Islam or Judaism.
He said to them, “When you sing ‘O little city of Bethlehem’ on Christmas Eve, that Jesus was born in my house. “
An estimated 50,000 Palestinian Christians live in the West Bank and Jerusalem, according to the U. S. State Department’s Report on International Religious Freedom. About 1,300 Christians reside in Gaza, according to the report. Some Christians are also citizens of Israel. Many Palestinian Christians live in diaspora communities.
Latin clergies pray at the Grotto, under the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. World-famous Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem have been put on hold due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Susan Muaddi Darraj, a novelist in Baltimore, said Christians embody a diversity of Palestinians that gets erased. “Our existence … defies the stereotypes that are being used to dehumanize us.”
This Christmas, family gatherings have become more important for comfort, she said.
“Especially in the diaspora . . . where, for us, life has come to a standstill while everyone around us goes on with their lives. “
Wadie Abunassar, an Israeli Palestinian from Haifa, said many in his Christian network needed to balance the somber mood with the Christmas message.
“Jesus came in the midst of darkness” and Christmas “is about giving hope when there’s no hope,” said Abunassar, a former Catholic Church spokesperson. “Nowadays, more than ever, we need this Christmas spirit.”
It hasn’t been easy.
“As Israeli citizens, we endure the pain of our fellow Jews,” he said. “As Palestinians, we endure the pain of our Palestinian brothers and sisters. »
In Bethlehem, the Rev. Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church, said tears flow during Sunday services. Many are anxious; some have packed up and left.
Isaac, a member of an organization that traveled to Washington to advocate for a ceasefire.
“A global and just peace is the only hope for both Palestinians and Israelis,” read a letter signed by several Christian pastoral leaders in Bethlehem. Addressed to President Joe Biden, it asked him to prevent war.
The signatories said they lamented all deaths, Palestinian and Israeli.
“We want a constant and comprehensive ceasefire. Enough death. Enough destruction. … This is our call and prayer this Christmas.”
Israel, whose forces have faced a ccusations by some of using excessive force, says it aims to destroy Hamas and accuses it of endangering civilians. Israel and its U.S. ally are also increasingly facing international alarm over the scope of deaths, destruction and displacement in Gaza.
Isaac’s Church features a nativity scene where the baby Jesus, wrapped in a subsidized white Palestinian keffiyeh, rests in the rubble. To make this exhibition an emotional and spiritual experience, he said.
“We see Jesus in each and every child killed, and we see God identifying with us in our suffering. »
This holiday season, Suhair Anastas, a longtime Gaza resident, is racked with guilt: she managed to escape the war in Gaza while others did not.
A Jordanian Palestinian, Anastas had been living in Gaza, where her late husband was from.
For more than a month, she and her 16-year-old daughter sought safe refuge at a Catholic school. Death was near when a fatal Israeli airstrike hit a Greek Orthodox church compound in Gaza housing displaced people. The Israeli military said it had attacked a nearby Hamas command center.
“You fall asleep. . . thinking, “Will I wake up in the morning?” said Anastas.
Their adventure to the border, which consisted of driving, walking, taking a donkey cart and a taxi, was terrifying.
“The bombing there,” he said. A friend’s daughter, a girl, kept asking: Are we going to die?
Anastas hopes to return to Gaza, but he doesn’t know what’s in store for him or whether his home will still be there.
Among the many questions about the future of Gaza and its more than two million people is whether its small Christian network will remain and for how long.
Among those still interned are Sami Awad’s relatives. Awad, a Palestinian-American, said he had been unable to get help from the United States to allow members of his family circle, who do not hold U. S. passports, to leave.
They have moved several times and their last refuge was a windowless cement shared with others, said Awad, who lives in the West Bank. In sporadic communications, a cousin told him they were running out of canned tuna and beans from which they had survived.
He once said to Awad, “If we die, don’t be too unhappy for us, because it would have been a mercy to us,” Awad said. At other times, the cousin would shout, “Save us. “
“I feel helpless,” Awad said, fearing the prospect of receiving bad news at any moment.
Hope came here in the form of Australian visas for his relatives, plus an elderly uncle and aunt, Awad said, but their names are on the lists needed to leave.
“We will wake up, as we do every day, to watch the news and see how many more people have been killed. “
Awad wasn’t planning to put up a Christmas tree until his youngest daughter asked him to.
So now, a tree is up. On it, amid gold and red baubles, is a red, black, white and green Palestinian flag.
__
Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed.
__
Associated Press policy is supported by AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with investment from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP alone is to blame for this content.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of CTV News journalists. We would possibly earn a commission when you use our links to make purchases. Read about us.