In a city synonymous with the birth of Jesus, Christmas is typically a time when Bethlehem is full of visitors. But with war raging, the city's Christian leaders have canceled public celebrations.

How Jesus’s Hometown Is Coping With War at Christmas Bethlehem is usually brimming with cheer—and tourists—this time of year. But the war in Gaza has turned it into a “ghost town.” ...

Bethlehem is just a few miles south of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank. There are 12 miles of high wall and fencing. There are Israeli checkpoints to get in and out of the city, where ...

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — The normally bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus resembled a ghost town on Sunday, as Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel ...

Every year at Christmas time in Bethlehem, bright lights and colorful decorations adorn the streets and homes in the Christian areas of the city where Jesus was born. Christian communities light ...

In a city synonymous with the birth of Jesus, Christmas is typically a time when Bethlehem is full of visitors. But with war raging, the city's Christian leaders have canceled public celebrations.

Worshippers visit the Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, ahead of Christmas in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — The normally bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus resembled a ghost town on Sunday, as Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel-Hamas war.

Every Christmas, a relatively small town in the Palestinian West Bank comes center stage: Bethlehem. Jesus, according to some biblical sources, was born in this town some two millennia ago.

The baby Jesus sat amid flickering candles atop a pile of busted cement and dirty stone. “This is what Christmas looks like in Palestine,” Issac said. “This is the true message.” ...

Christmas was canceled in Bethlehem, the occupied West Bank city where historians and Christians alike believe Jesus was born. Mayor Hanna Hanania proclaimed, “For the first time, the Christmas ...