– by Fred Schlomka – 17/12/2024

It is only a 12-mile cycle ride from Jerusalem to Bethlehem but it is a world apart from modern-day Israel, where, despite the ongoing killings and displacement in Gaza and the West Bank, Jerusalem’s Jewish residents bustle through the city, going to work, shopping in well-stocked supermarkets, and picnicking in the parks. The contrast is surreal.

There is no Christmas in Bethlehem for the second consecutive year. Usually packed with visitors, tourists have stayed away due to Israeli military actions, settler attacks in the West Bank, and of course travel advisories by foreign governments, including the UK.

After cycling for an hour, I arrive at Rachael’s Tomb where the 25-foot high concrete wall surrounding Bethlehem has been gerrymandered into Jerusalem by bending and twisting the huge structure to entirely block off any access from Bethlehem. There is an architectural Kafkaesque quality to it. This is further illustrated when I cycle up to the gate and ask the guard if I can pass to see the Tomb. “No bicycles allowed”, he says in Hebrew. “You can leave the bike here and walk” – said while he stands underneath a sign which clearly states that private vehicles are allowed, but no pedestrians. I point this out to him in my broken Hebrew but he will not budge. Such is the petty power of a minimum wage guard with a gun.

I decline to leave by bicycle at the gate and forego entering the tomb. I continue cycling to the settler’s gate at Har Homa checkpoint and enter Bethlehem through the largely Christian suburb of Beit Sahour, passing large red signs that warn Israelis not to enter. The steep hills leading to the cradle of Christianity are quiet. The Israeli military was there earlier in the morning supposedly seeking out terrorists, but as usual the purpose was to show the Palestinian population that their lives are not their own. The soldiers enter private homes, toss the contents then move on, leaving traumatised families in their wake.

I pass many shuttered shops and homes, where residents have packed up and gone. As I get closer to the centre of town there’s a few more people on the streets but the formerly vibrant heart of the city is nowhere in sight.

I park the bicycle and walk through the old city, full of ancient limestone-clad buildings, many with foundations and ground floors dating back to the time of Christ. It is largely deserted, except for the vegetable market.  I arrive at the usually busy Manger Square and the Church of Nativity where the surrounding souvenir shops are mostly closed and the annual Christmas tree and decorations are missing. There is a desolate air surrounding this holiest place for Christians.  I imagine if Mother Mary showed up with Jesus in her belly, she would receive much the same treatment from the Israelis as they did 2,000 years ago from the Romans. Occupation is a terrible thing.

Several years ago I witnessed joyous Christmas celebrations in Manger Square, complete with a grand parade, cheering crowds of locals, busloads of tourists and the cacophony of the boy scout bagpipe band, a legacy of the British Mandate. This year the quiet is deafening.

I chat with Issa Thaljieh, an Orthodox priest at the Nativity Church, about the lack of festivities. He tells me that it is difficult to show any joy or happiness when so many Palestinians in Gaza are being killed and made homeless. In addition the war has ravaged the economy and many local Christians and others have packed up and left, adding to the gloom.

I visit Yusef at his small restaurant just off Manger Square. Instead of the usual Christmas decorations, even though he is Muslim, he has put a lone silver star on a wall, as a nod towards the season. The place is empty. I have a plate of hummus-ful, a delicious meal of hummus with warm well-cooked fava beans topped with a dash of olive oil, garlic, lemon and chopped parsley. It’s a lonely lunch. Issa tells me his family is almost destitute. He may have to close and is thinking about departing his beloved city. Although many Christians are leaving, Yusef  says it is much harder for Muslim families to obtain visas to go to safer countries.  I commiserate and leave an oversized tip.

Such is the impact of the Gaza war and the rapid growth of Jewish West Bank settlements over the past two years, with militant settlers pushing to impose Israeli sovereignty on the area. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir recently declared that since the Gaza operation began, over 120,000 firearms have been issued to Israeli settlers. They have since gone on the rampage, secure in the assurance of government backing, burning olive trees and vandalising entire villages, and killing, always killing. Palestinians in the West Bank are near breaking point, and in Bethlehem the poverty and despair is palpable in the air.

There is no Christmas here. There is little hope for an end to the suffering.

Depressed and angry I walk back to my bicycle, too well aware that as an Israeli and a UK citizen I have freedom that is a distant dream for local people.  I come and go as I please while the Bethlehem population is locked behind walls amid a deteriorating situation. The world needs to wake up. The UK needs to stop sending arms to Israel and put its full weight behind the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. They have war crimes to answer for.

Justice needs to be served in order for Bethlehem to fully celebrate Christmas. I am counting on the people of Shetland, my second home, to open their hearts and help the Palestinian people celebrate Christmas once more.

Fred Schlomka is a resident of Unst and divides his time between Shetland and Israel/Palestine. He is co-Managing Partner of the Green Olive Collective, which conducts educational tours, advocacy and solidarity activities. It is an organization of Israelis and Palestinians dedicated to ending the occupation and developing a free and just democratic society in the Holy Land.