December 25, 2025 | 08:05 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Celebration of Christmas across Palestine and Israel was marked by violence, oppression, and prolonged trauma due to Israel's war in Gaza. The violence unfolded as the Palestinian Christian community celebrated Christmas amid the blockade, surveillance, and occupation by Israel.
In the northern city of Haifa, the festive atmosphere in the Palestinian Christian neighborhood of Wadi al-Nisnas turned chaotic after Israeli police raided the area. Israeli police arrested and beat residents, according to online recordings and eyewitness accounts.
Families preparing for Christmas were met with violence and arrests. According to The New Arab, this incident reflects the routine targeting of the Palestinian community by Israel, even during religious holidays.
The harsh crackdown in Haifa occurred as Christians across Palestine celebrated Christmas amidst the destruction caused by Israel's attacks in Gaza and the tightening grip of military control in the occupied West Bank.
In Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus and a symbol of Palestinian Christian identity, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa addressed thousands of Palestinian citizens, both Christian and Muslim. Pizzaballa said that this year's Christmas message is inseparable from the themes of suffering and resilience.
"We decide to be the light," he said. "And the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world."
For Georgette Jackaman, a Bethlehem resident who works as a tour guide and whose family has been rooted in the city for generations, this Christmas brings both sadness and significance. It is the first true Christmas celebration for her two young children.
Despite the ceasefire in Gaza announced in October, Israeli violence across the West Bank has not ceased. Israeli forces continue to carry out attacks almost daily, while settler attacks on Palestinians have reached record levels, according to the UN.
As poverty worsens, about 4,000 people have left Bethlehem in search of work, according to local officials, accelerating the erosion of the Christian presence in Palestine.
Currently, Less than two percent of the West Bank's population is Christian. The number has greatly diminished due to occupation, economic harassment, and forced migration.
Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians have reached their highest level since the UN humanitarian office began recording data in 2006. These attacks involve killings, beatings, and property destruction, often under the protection of the Israeli military.
Previously, Al Jazeera reported that on Wednesday, more than 570 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem under police protection. Palestinians stated that such attacks violate the long-standing status quo regulating the third-holiest site in Islam.
Read: Bethlehem Sees Return of Christmas Crowds After War-Hit Years
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