'It seems destiny of Holy Land is to stay divided': Bethlehem's Christians on 'difficult times'
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The sense of hollowness of the Church of the Nativity is deeper than absent tourists. The chants and prayers are pain-stricken and desperate. Down in the manger by the enshrined spot where baby Jesus was said to be born, a priest solemnly swings incense into the corners.
There is no beautifully-lit tree in the square outside for the second year in a row. Even in their homes, the Palestinian Christian community in Bethlehem is struggling to celebrate. The empty spaces and lack of tourism are the shadow of 14 months of war in Gaza and a daily reminder of the ongoing devastation.
And around their family homes, Israeli settlements in the West Bank - illegal under international law - are inching closer. 'Our country is shrinking'. "Normally we spend Christmas in Bethlehem and Jerusalem but this year there are no celebrations because of what is happening with the war. It is not nice to celebrate while people are dying," says Alice Kisiya.
Alice is from Beit Jala, Bethlehem. For five years, her family have waged legal battles with settlers over their generational home. "Each Christmas we had demolition because each time they come and demolish. Last year, we were celebrating Christmas there and they came and demolished our small tent," says Alice.
She and her family are waiting for a Supreme Court ruling in January on whether they can return. "Our country is shrinking. As Palestinian Christians, we cannot really have our freedom to move freely and it's getting worse.". Her words resonate as we drive along the West Bank wall on the edges of Bethlehem.
