A view of the Christmas tree at the Manger Square while its empty from visitors, next to the Church of Nativity, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem
Credit: Shutterstock
The tree is up and the lights are on in Manger Square, but the man wandering around in a Father Christmas outfit has virtually no one to speak to.
“As you can see, there is no one here and that is because the coronavirus has ruined everything,” remarks one crestfallen Bethlehemite as she crosses the square with her great-nephew.
This year, the birthplace of Jesus has been denuded of the pilgrims and tourists that usually come in their thousands to explore Christmas markets and visit the 1600-year old Church of the Nativity.
Bethlehem locals say they have never seen the place as empty as this, even during the benighted days of the second intifada.
Like every other Christmas celebration around the world, coronavirus has wrought havoc on the West Bank town of Bethlehem, especially on its once-lucrative tourism industry.
At the start of the pandemic, Israel sealed off its external borders to foreigners, depriving tourism workers in Israel and the Palestinian territories of visitors and income.
Violet Qumsieh, the owner of Sunbird Travel Company, says she had to dismiss her staff due to the lack of trade and insufficient financial support from the Palestinian authorities.
“We used to receive delegations of foreign tourists from all over the world, it was amazing,” she says, standing beneath the 50-foot artificial Christmas tree in the middle of Manger Square.
A staff member looks on as children play at The Creche, a house sheltering children, in Bethlehem
Credit: Reuters
To make matters worse, she doubts that she will receive any bookings until summer 2021 as her elderly clients are concerned about travelling abroad, even after most of the population has been vaccinated.
“We mostly receive Americans, the Spanish and the Maltese, but since March 2020 no groups have come, everything was cancelled,” she says. “It’s never been like this, never. Not even in the worst days of the intifada did we have a situation like this."
According to the United Nations’ trade and development body, UNCTAD, Covid-19 has “shattered” the Palestinian economy and led to the lowest level of tourism and trade in two decades.
Some forecasts of the pandemic’s economic cost in the West Bank say it could be as high as 35 per cent of GDP.
The infection rate has also taken its toll, with more than 110,000 coronavirus cases recorded as the West Bank approaches the grim milestone of 1,000 deaths.
Ms Qumsieh added that even Palestinian Christians were less keen on Christmas spending this year as they have lost jobs and savings due to the economic crisis that quickly followed the virus.
This was certainly the case in one Christmas-themed shop, Musharbash, which has slashed prices on trees, lights, Santa costumes and decorations by fifty per cent.
“Turnout has been very poor, only ten per cent of people are showing up,” says a gloomy shop assistant who gave his name as Johnny. “Those who used to spend 1,000 shekels now only spend 10 shekels.”
Priests pray during a mass at the Holy Cave in the Church of Nativity
Credit: ABED AL HASHLAMOUN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The hotel trade has not fared much better, with room after room in Bethlehem standing empty for the past ten months, an irony that is not lost on the town’s Christian population.
Among the hardest hit is the Bethlehem Hotel, which used to have all 220 rooms booked up throughout the year. Its owner, Elias al-Arja, says he has forgotten what tourists even look like.
Some traders have even resorted to selling off land and dividing up their own salary among workers to keep the business afloat.
Bethlehem officials insist that Christmas will be as cheery as ever this year, but have urged Palestinians to stay away from the town square and instead enjoy the festivities online.
Even greater precautions were taken during the tree lighting ceremony on 1 December, which was held several weeks earlier than usual.
Mohammad Shtayyeh, the 62-year-old Palestinian prime minister, switched on the lights remotely from his office, 17 miles away in Ramallah.
A lockdown was also imposed in the hopes of slowing down the spread of the virus in the Palestinian territories.
People shop at a Christmas market opened at a square next to Nativity Churh ahead of Christmas and New Year
Credit: Anadolu
One press conference in Bethlehem announcing the town’s 2020 Christmas festivities was almost ruined when an attendee admitted he had tested positive for coronavirus.
The main speakers, including mayor of Bethlehem Anton Salmon, were steered away from the municipality hall and the conference was eventually moved online.
Speaking to reporters via videolink, Mr Salman was asked if Bethlehem was facing its saddest Christmas yet.
He responded defiantly: “We will never, ever celebrate Christmas with sadness. Christmas will not be cancelled, and the celebrations will continue, we only ask people to follow [coronavirus] procedures, especially where the risk of infection is high.”
Inside Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, the sound of choir song has been replaced with an eerie silence, broken now and then by the footsteps of a priest crossing the stone floor.
“It has been very sad, to come in and see there are only one or two people here in the morning each day,” says Father Issa Thaljieh, a Greek Orthodox priest.
“But the positive thing is that we are still here. We will keep surviving, and so will the faith of Bethlehem.”
He is not the only one trying to see the upside of this year’s pandemic. Youssef Asad says the slower pace of life has allowed more time at home with his large family, even though it was at times a little claustrophobic.
“I feel the main positive thing about this year is that the family has gotten stronger and stronger,” says the 17-year-old. “We didn’t spend much time together at all last year, I was usually out with friends, but we did this year.”
Shortly before leaving Bethlehem, the Telegraph at last spotted what seemed to be a group of holidaymakers posing for photographs with the lonely Father Christmas at Manger Square.
Alas, on closer inspection they turned out to be a pair of foreign diplomats.
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