For Christians across the world, the Holy Land has special reverence on Christmas, as Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, which today is located in the Palestinian Authority. Throughout the world, one can witness Nativity Scenes where the Virgin Mary and her husband Joseph can be seen sitting with the Baby Jesus in the stables together with three wise men, who arrived by camel back. Throughout the Christian world, people flock to see such Nativity Scenes.
Usually, the Palestinian Authority makes a big deal out of Christmas celebrations and uses the holiday season to proclaim at every opportunity that Jesus is a Palestinian. Utilizing Christmas imagery, they do everything in their power to defame Israel. For example, in 2018, the Palestinian Authority daily Al Hayat Al Jadida published an article claiming:
“There is a special fragrance to Christmas, because of its unique place in the Palestinian [historic] consciousness itself, with its prophets, and specifically our Lord the Messiah [Jesus], may he rest in peace, the loyal and respected son of Palestine, who more than 2,000 years ago defended his religious, political, and legal choice against the fanatic Jews who despised him and persecuted him until they [eventually] crucified him.
“Jesus, may he rest in peace, was the first symbol of the struggle for national liberation from the clutches of those who pretend to represent the Jewish religion [but] who [in fact] distorted the Old Testament and fabricated its intent, fought their prophets and oppressed the Jews, the Christians, and others during the time of our Lord the Messiah.”
The PA daily further charged:
“They have not ceased their crimes to this very day, [for now] Judaism has been hijacked by the Zionist movement, which turned it into a vehicle for the colonialist project with the unconditional support and consent of the capitalist West, in order to realize [the Zionists’] colonialist aims.”
According to the Palestinians:
“They [the Jews] continue, on a daily basis, to push [matters] towards the option of a religious war, so as to cover up the crimes of the colonial Zionists and their allies in the White House, the Pentagon, the corridors of both houses [of Congress] and the dubious lobbies, and among the pro-Zionists within the Anglican church [sic, the writer is likely referring to the Evangelicals].”
Another piece published in Al Hayat Al Jadida that same year claimed:
“An eternal day began with the birth of the exalted messenger of peace and love, Jesus the Messiah, may he rest in peace… He carried his cross as his holy forehead bled, for the sake of truth, justice and peace. His sacrifice warns us and opens our eyes to the dangers of hegemony and oppression by means of the weapons of repression, poverty and starvation. The believers are all potential martyrs until the all-powerful God allows the souls of those beloved by Him to rise heavenward, and the martyrs are believers whose power shapes our national memory… They tell us that our Lord the Messiah, the first martyr and the first Fidai, taught us that love is the way and that life overflows with bounty that must be sought until the very last moment, for it is one of Allah’s wonders in the world and it is never-ending…”
Fast forward to 2021 and not much has changed regarding the PA’s portrayal of Christmas. This year, the Al Quds newspaper published a Christmas statement by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, which called to “preserve the authentic Christian presence in our land” in the face of “the occupation and its non-stop attacks against many holy places and sites.” Citing Bethlehem as an example, he noted that the city was “besieged by the occupation with a number of settlements and was turned into a prison, cut off from other cities.”
The Palestinian leader also claimed that the Al Aqsa Mosque is “subject to efforts to Judaize it with a number of settlements that are increasing.” He called these “incursions into the Holy City” and he blamed the “occupation for the decreasing number of Christians in the land where Christianity began.”
However, in reality, since the Oslo Agreements were signed, 35% of the Christians living in the West Bank and Gaza immigrated to the West due to religious persecution that they experienced in the Palestinian Authority and under Hamas rule. Israel had nothing to do with their exodus. For proof, one should look no further than an Al Aqsa TV interview that was translated by MEMRI. In the interview, Ahmad Kulab, head of the Department for Training of Preachers in Hamas’ Ministry of Religious Endowments, warned against Muslim participation in Christmas celebrations:
“We are not allowed to congratulate the Christians on their holidays. Christians must [keep] the celebration of their holidays to their homes, their houses of worship, and their churches.”
According to him, Christmas has entered Muslim countries, thus erasing the Islamic faith:
“It changes the behavior of our children and contaminates their immaculate faith. In addition, the Holy Quran encourages us to dissent against the dwellers of Hellfire, the Jews and the Christians.
“Santa Claus is a witty and jolly personality who hands out sweets and presents in order to influence people. This image of Santa Claus constitutes an invasion of Muslim countries, because they want to ingrain the image of Santa Claus [among Muslims]. The character of Santa Claus glorifies prominent Christians, monks who used to propagate the Holy Trinity and Christianity among Roman youth, giving out presents, sweets, and so on.”
In the interview, Kulab stressed:
“If [a Christian] says to me: ‘Happy holidays!’, I can reply with something general, and say: ‘May you be happy, too.’ But I say that we do not even have to say this. Even if they congratulate us, we do not have to answer them. We can remain silent. That is better for us, in order to avoid falling into sin, as the Islamic scholars said.”
Following this statement, Ayoob Kara, who served as Israel’s Communication, Cyber and Satellite Minister, stated:
“Christians are being persecuted in the Middle East and especially in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Gaza and the Palestinian Authority. From all these places, there is a Christian exodus to the West. Furthermore, there is assimilation as a result of religious extremism and the Muslim Brotherhood in particular. Only in Israel do Christians maintain their relatively large population.”
Indeed, the Israeli media has reported that tens of thousands of Israelis flocked to Nazareth for Christmas celebrations, even though the country is closed off to foreign tourists because of COVID-19. Livnat Kizner, from central Israel, told Ynet that visiting Jesus’ childhood hometown was a good substitute for a trip abroad. “It’s very reminiscent of Europe, in the sounds, the smells, the experience. You can definitely have fun in Israel in such places and not fly,” she said.
In contrast, people barely celebrated Christmas this year in Bethlehem due to the Omicron variant, after Christmas celebrations were held online last year. Foreign media outlets reported an empty Manger Square, as marching bands greeted the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. A picture of Jesus riding a camel through the Old City with almost no one in the background was on the front page of the weekend edition of The Jerusalem Post. In Gaza, MEMRI reported on a tiny Christmas celebration that was ignored by Hamas media outlets.
However, while the Omicron variant did pass a dark cloud over Christmas this year, Hamas was the true grinch that stole Christmas, as the terror group refuses to even acknowledge the small celebrations that still existed in the Palestinian Authority and to wish Palestinian Christians a“Merry Christmas.” As Kara noted:
“Where there is an Iranian presence and the Muslim Brotherhood, there is a decline in the economy and minorities suffer in rampant poverty.”
While the plight of Christian men under Hamas and PA rule may be dire, Christian women have it even worse. According to Justus Weiner, a scholar who researched the persecution of Christians under the PA and Hamas:
“The abuse of Christian Palestinian women extends well beyond verbal harassment and intimidation. The widespread occurrence of rape by Muslim men against Christian women exemplifies perhaps the most blatant denial of basic human rights as a result of religious identity. Once a girl has been raped, she is considered dirty and unfit for marriage.”
He argued that in many instances Palestinian Muslims rape Christian girls just so that they won’t be able to marry men who are part of their faith community. This is also why he claims that many Christian girls are being forced into marriages with Muslim men.
Sadly, the oppression experienced by Palestinian Christian women does not merely include abductions, rapes, forced conversions and unwanted marriages. According to one Palestinian Christian woman, who spoke to Israel Hayom on the condition of anonymity:
“At the university, as a Christian, I was subject to discrimination in a Hamas populated department. I was the only one not wearing hijab and I was the only Christian in my department. It was hard. People comment if you wear a cross. Women in general are subject to sexual harassment. You cannot tell if it is connected to religion. As a result of these conditions, Bethlehem, which used to be 85% Christian when Israel first ruled the area, is now only 1.5% Christian. After the Second Intifada, the Christians saw that they had no future and they fled.”
Indeed, as we welcome in the New Year, it is pivotal to note the plight of Christians who unfortunately are compelled to suffer persecution under Hamas and PA rule, for the phrase “tis the season to be merry” rings hollow when their plight continues to be ignored by foreign media outlets and the international community at large.
