This Christmas, many of us in Bethlehem just want to stay home, spend time with our families and feel safe. I think of Mary and Joseph in search of a safe place and being turned away, time and again.

There's no Christmas in Bethlehem this year. With war in Gaza, festivities are off. December 16, 2023 7:00 AM ET. By . Scott Neuman , Kat Lonsdorf There's no Christmas in Bethlehem this year.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — The typically bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus resembled a ghost town Sunday after Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel-Hamas war.

For Palestinians, Christmas in Bethlehem represents a window to the world. It has long been synonymous with joy and hope, and an occasion to commemorate the place of birth of the Christmas story ...

Bethlehem, a Palestinian city in the Israel-occupied West Bank just 6 miles south of Jerusalem, has so far escaped the same ravages of war that have gripped Gaza and parts of Israel since Hamas ...

Local Christian leaders say there are about 35,000 Christians in the Bethlehem area. The symbolism of Christmas is part of the soul of the city. But the war has cast a pall.

World-famous Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem have been put on hold due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) For a local activist who asked to remain anonymous, ...

A hand-carved nativity made of olive wood in Bethlehem is displayed for sale Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, at the Christmas makers market at the American Fork Amphitheater.

For Palestinians, Christmas in Bethlehem represents a window to the world. It has long been synonymous with joy and hope, and an occasion to commemorate the place of birth of the Christmas story ...