{"id":2132484,"date":"2023-12-23T15:50:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-23T20:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christmas-celebrations-in-bethlehem-canceled-amid-israel-hamas-conflict\/"},"modified":"2023-12-23T15:52:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-23T20:52:01","slug":"christmas-celebrations-in-bethlehem-canceled-amid-israel-hamas-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christmas-celebrations-in-bethlehem-canceled-amid-israel-hamas-conflict\/","title":{"rendered":"Bethlehem Christmas celebrations canceled due to Israel-Hamas conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchristmas-celebrations-in-bethlehem-canceled-amid-israel-hamas-conflict%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2132484&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Art work \u201cNativity under the Rubble\u201d by Palestinian artist Tariq Salsa is seen in Manger Square near the\u200d Church\u2062 of Nativity\u2062 on December 23, 2023 in Bethlehem, West Bank. Art work shows a Gazan Child instead of Baby Jesus in the scene of rubble. Last\u2064 month, Christian Palestinian\u200d leaders here called off public Christmas celebrations, citing the effects of the ongoing war in Gaza.  (Photo by Maja Hitij\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>OAN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/tag\/abril-elfi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Abril Elfi<\/a><br \/>12:36 PM \u2013 Saturday, December 23, 2023<\/p>\n<p><strong>Christmas celebrations have been canceled \u2064in Bethlehem as conflict\u2064 between Israel and Hamas continues.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-3\" style=\"min-width: 320px; min-height: 50px; text-align: center;\">  \t<script>  \t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-3'); });  \t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"ad-slot__ad-label\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>Bethlehem Mayor Hanna \u200cHanania has announced that the\u200c city municipality collectively \u201cdecided to limit Christmas celebrations to prayers and worship\u201d without\u2063 the \u2063annual spectacle as a \u201crejection and condemnation of Israeli aggression and the targeting of civilians, women, \u200dand children in the Gaza Strip.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The decision was first announced in\u200d a joint letter on November 10<sup>th<\/sup> by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, an interdenominational\u200c council of \u200bbishops and pastors\u2064 in charge of churches in the Holy Land.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cEach year during the sacred seasons of Advent and Christmastide, our \u2062Christian communities throughout the Holy Land take great\u2064 delight in their preparations for the commemoration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,\u201d the patriarchs wrote in their letter. \u201cIn \u200daddition to attendance in religious services, these celebrations have normally involved participation in numerous public festivities and the large-scale display of brightly lit and expensive decorations\u200b as a means of\u200b expressing our joy at the approach and\u2062 arrival of the Feast of the Nativity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cBut these are not normal times. Since the\u200b start of the War, there \u2062has been an atmosphere of sadness and pain. Thousands of innocent civilians, including women and children, have died or suffered serious injuries,\u201d the bishops continued.\u200d \u201cMany more grieve over the loss of \u2064their homes, their\u200c loved \u200dones, or the uncertain\u2063 fate of those dear \u2064to them. Throughout\u2062 the region, even\u2063 more have lost their \u200dwork and are suffering from serious economic challenges.\u2062 Yet despite our repeated calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and a de-escalation of violence, the war continues.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The Christian leaders\u200b stated that in the midst of more than a month of violence, they have \u2062chosen to minimize the glitz and glamor of neighborhood Christmas festivities in order to emphasize the\u200c holiday\u2019s spiritual significance.<\/p>\n<p> Reverend Munther \u200dIsaac of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem\u200b set up his church\u2019s \u2062nativity with the infant Jesus in \u2063the middle of a pile of \u2063rubble inspired by the\u2064 war. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cI always say we need to de-romanticize Christmas,\u201d Isaac said. \u201cIn reality, it\u2019s a story of\u2064 a baby who was born in the most difficult circumstances and the Roman Empire\u200c under occupation, who\u200c survived the massacre of children himself when he was born. So the connection was natural to \u2063us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your\u2062 inbox for \u200dfree. \u2064Subscribe here. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts\">https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"rc-widget-10bad2\" data-rc-widget data-widget-host=\"habitat\" data-endpoint=\"\/\/trends.revcontent.com\" data-widget-id=\"278641\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"dpsp-share-text\" style=\"margin-bottom:10px\"> \t\t \t\tShare this post!\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>The Supreme Court rejects Jack Smith\u2019s \u200bexpedition request while Joe Biden tries to get\u200d his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gingrich-says-democrats-are-desperate-over-biden-2024-campaign-clearly-beyond-his-due-date\/\" title=\"Gingrich says Democrats are 'desperate' over Biden 2024 campaign: 'Clearly beyond his due date'\">poll numbers high<\/a> with marijuana.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>The majority of Republican leaders have spoken out against the Colorado State Supreme Court ruling disqualifying former President Donald Trump from the ballot.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>The president\u200c of the conservative\u2064 activist group American Commitment says \u2063an anti-ESG lawsuit launched by \u2064the State of Tennessee against Blackrock comes\u200b as\u2062 the \u200cpopularity of the ESG investing trend begins to wane.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>All eyes will be\u200d on the U.S. Supreme Court after the Colorado Supreme Court voted four-to-three to disqualify former President Trump from the primary ballot citing the Constitution\u2019s\u2064 14th Amendment insurrection clause.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>December \u206422, 2023\u2063 \u2013 6:05 AM PST HONG \u200bKONG (Reuters) \u2013 Chinese \u2064regulators announced on Friday a wide range \u200cof rules aimed\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>One\u200c of the main bottlenecks for Tesla is the speed it can make the 4680 batteries used in the Cybertruck\u2063 with its new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/navy-vet-defends-beheading-satanic-statue\/\" title=\"Navy vet supports beheading Satanic statue\">dry-coating technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>A group of 11 nonfiction authors have \u2062joined \u200ba lawsuit in Manhattan federal court that accuses OpenAI and Microsoft of \u200cmisusing books the authors have written to train their models.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>San Francisco police Sergeant David Radford contacted Tesla about data on an alleged stalker\u2019s remote access to a vehicle.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> rnrn  <\/p>\n<h2> Who made the joint decision to prioritize prayers and spiritual reflection over festive celebrations in Bethlehem?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Christmas celebrations have been canceled in Bethlehem due \u2064to the ongoing\u2062 conflict between Israel and Hamas. Bethlehem\u200b Mayor Hanna Hanania announced that the city municipality has decided to limit Christmas celebrations to prayers and worship \u2062as a rejection\u200b and condemnation of Israeli\u2063 aggression \u2064and the targeting\u200c of civilians in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2064 decision was made in a joint \u200cletter on \u200cNovember 10th by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, \u2063an interdenominational council of bishops \u2063and pastors \u2062responsible for churches in the Holy Land. In \u200dthe letter, the patriarchs expressed their disappointment at the current \u200bsituation and the need to prioritize prayers and spiritual reflection over the usual festive and public celebrations.<\/p>\n<p>Each year, the Christian communities in the Holy Land eagerly prepare for\u2063 the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. These preparations often include public festivities, large-scale decorations, \u2063and bright lights to express the joy and anticipation of the Nativity feast. However, this year is different as the ongoing war has cast a shadow of sadness and pain over the \u2064region.<\/p>\n<p>The bishops in their letter acknowledged the loss of innocent lives, the suffering of \u200bcivilians, and \u200bthe grief of those who \u2062have lost their homes and loved ones. They emphasized that despite their repeated calls for a ceasefire and de-escalation of violence, the war\u200b continues to \u2064bring hardship and challenges to\u200c the people.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, the\u2062 Christian leaders in Bethlehem decided to de-emphasize the glitz and glamor of neighborhood Christmas festivities and instead\u2063 focus on the spiritual significance of the holiday.\u200d Reverend Munther Isaac of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem even set up his church&#8217;s nativity scene in the middle \u200bof a\u2063 pile of rubble, symbolizing the difficult circumstances in which Jesus was born.<\/p>\n<p>The cancellation of\u200c Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem serves as a stark reminder of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elon-musk-goes-to-the-border-and-leaves-stunned-complete-madness\/\" title=\"Elon Musk visits border, astounded by \"utter madness.\"\">harsh realities faced<\/a> by the people in\u2063 the region. It \u200cis a call to reflection and solidarity with those who have been affected by the conflict. While \u2064the festive atmosphere may be absent \u2064this year, the spirit of hope, peace, and goodwill that Christmas represents still remains in the hearts of the people.<\/p>\n<p>It is important for the\u200b international community to take note of the cancellation of Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem. It highlights the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict\u200b and the restoration\u200b of \u200bnormalcy in \u200bthe Holy Land. The\u2062 world must continue to support \u2064efforts towards peace, justice, \u2063and reconciliation,\u200c and \u200dstrive\u2063 for a future where Bethlehem and other cities can celebrate Christmas \u200bwithout \u200bthe shadow of conflict.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Manger Square, Bethlehem, the art piece &#8220;Nativity under the Rubble&#8221; by Tariq Salsa depicts a Gazan Child amidst the debris instead of Baby Jesus. Christian Palestinian leaders recently canceled public Christmas festivities in this West Bank location<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2196,"featured_media":2132486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2132484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oann"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2196"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2132484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2132486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2132484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2132484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2132484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}