“It’s a true emblem of perseverance,” expressed 27-year-old Abeer Shtaya, employed at Al-Zaytoonah University of Science and Technology in Salfit, West Bank.
The atmosphere was alive with laughter, as smiles spread even amidst intermittent showers.
During the ceremony, a vendor set up shop in Nativity Square, offering coffee to the crowd. Source: AFP / John Wessels
“For two years we missed this due to conflict, so it’s quite emotional to experience this again after such a prolonged period of turmoil and loss,” shared 50-year-old Liyu Lu, who journeyed from northern Israel near the Lebanese border.
In the past couple of years, Bethlehem marked Christmas with understated events, foregoing the usual grand celebrations.
Pilgrims “remain afraid because there’s no official end to the war” in Gaza, Safar said, adding they were also worried about the situation in Lebanon.
‘Worse than Covid’
She woke up at 6am to get a bus at 7am with a large group. They arrived at 12:30pm, she said, without any trouble.
