After all. Jesus was a dark skinned Jewish man. Why would they want to celebrate his birth over 2,000 years ago?
The festivities and feasting are cancelled when over half of Gaza is being starved. Christmas itself, prayers, and hope that peace comes as Christ calls for is not. Listen to what the priests have said and not the title.
Bethlehem is on the West Bank and they are not starving.
So It seems like perhaps you just don’t understand any of the words in the title, let’s see if we can help!
Christmas is a Christian holiday often celebrated with feasts, singing, and calls for peace on earth and goodwill towards others.
Festivities are celebratory events and activities, typically characterized by joviality and shared happiness.
Solidarity is being United in your feelings, actions, and condition with someone else who might be in a different situation but shares some of your feelings, actions, and circumstances.
Bethlehem is the location where Christians believe their Messiah was born.
Gaza is a small region in the Middle East being ethnically cleansed by Israel.
Putting it all together the title reads:
Town where Christian God was born cancels celebratory activities in favor of showing support for the feelings and conditions of the victims of genocide in Gaza.
That is correct, Bethlehem is under occupation in the West Bank. People in Gaza cannot get permits to visit for Christmas. Also, people in the occupied West Bank who lost families when churches in Gaza were bombed and family members are being denied food, water, and medical aide do not feel that feasts and presents are appropriate. It is a time for prayer not presents.
Now why would Muslims want to visit for Christmas?
Wow, racist much? Why is the Church if the Nativity in Palestine, the answer is that is where Christ was born and many Christians live there. One of the first things Israel bombed in Gaza was St Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church which was one of the oldest churches in the world. Last week Israeli snipers killed several at the Catholic Church in Gaza. There are not as many Christians in Gaza anymore as most fled over the last 16 years of blockade, but to suggest that all Palestinians are Muslim is an embarrassing take.
So Christian Gazians you mean.
- fictional dark skinned jewish man. There still exist zero evidence that this fictional character with magical powers existed.
Historians widely agree that Jesus was a real historical figure.
weak bait, try harder next time
Oh wow, 5 seconds of reading would have saved you some embarrassment.
The magical powers, virgin birth, etc are debatable but Jesus was a real person who definitely existed
Well, you could call anything that existed over 2,000 years ago a fiction. That’s kind of a low bar.
The Earth is a fiction!
But the earth also exists now, so that doesn’t work.
Well, I would have at least come up with the Roman Empire, but if that’s the way you want to play it…
Literal ‘thoughts and prayers’ while doing nothing in particular to help anybody. Religion’s answer to all problems: Do nothing, as long as your religion is not actively engaged in hate crimes or religious genocide.
What exactly you want them to do? Charge at Gaza? Charge at IDF? At least they show compassion and respect and hopefully remind people of the world about what does it mean to born Palestinian.
Vote for better leaders
They do:
In a 2021 survey, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported that 182,000 Christians live in Israel – about 1.9% of the State of Israel’s population; most of them are Arab and most reside in the North.
Even fewer are of eligible voting age – estimated around 95,000.
Arabs Christians, on the other hand, tend to vote on issues important to the Arab population and not along religious lines – hence most of their vote is concentrated on the Arab parties, many of which have an anti-Zionist platform and call for the return of Palestinian refugees and their descendants.
Great article if you want to read more about Palestinians Christian.
It’s the Jewish population that need to vote for better leaders. Not for idiots like Netanyahu and the right wing coalition. There is no way that lot ever wants peace.
