Orthodox Christian leaders in the town where Jesus was born have called for a silent night this Christmas, as the Israel-Hamas war appears likely to drag on into the holiday season.
Church leaders in the Palestinian territory town of Bethlehem and in the Israeli cities of Haifa, Nazareth and Jerusalem have canceled decorations and festivities that have annually brought 150,000 pilgrims to the Holy Land.
Orthodox officials in Jerusalem issued a statement calling for Palestinian Christians to focus on the holiday’s spiritual import, refrain from “unnecessarily festive” activities and pray for “the relief of the victims of this war and for those in dire need,” according to media reports.
In Jordan, leaders of that nation’s Council of the Heads of Churches asked churches “to cancel all Christmas activities and festivities for this year’s Christmas celebrations — which include Christmas bazaars, scout musical activities, gift presentations to children, and Christmas decorations — out of respect for the innocent victims and for the pure blood of our martyrs in Gaza and entire Palestine.”
Israel has been at war with Hamas since the Palestinian militant group executed an Oct. 7 terror attack on southern Israel that killed more than 1,200 civilians and saw more than 200 others taken hostage. A five-day cease-fire has allowed about 80 hostages to be released while dozens remain captive.
The Washington Times has reached out to the Israel Ministry of Tourism and Jordan’s Tourism Board for comment.
Ron Cantor, a Messianic Jewish leader in Israel, said the Christmas celebrations won’t affect most evangelicals in the nation because they tend to avoid the holiday and focus on Passover and Jesus’ resurrection in the spring.
“What goes on in Bethlehem is primarily an Orthodox expression, not an evangelical one. And really, what goes on in Bethlehem is quite sad since the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization] took over,” Mr. Cantor said Tuesday via telephone. “There has been a vast exodus of Christians from Bethlehem since the PLO was allowed back in the 1990s. It’s very commercialized now. I’m not even allowed to go there as an Israeli citizen.”
