'Worst Christmas ever' in birthplace of Jesus as impact of war empties Bethlehem
By Sinan Abu Mayzer and Lucy Marks
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (Reuters) — Bethlehem is normally at its busiest at Christmas but this year war has scared away tourists and pilgrims from the Palestinian town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, leaving hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops deserted.
With global headlines dominated since Oct. 7 by news of the Hamas attacks in southern Israel, followed by Israel's military assault on Gaza and a rise in violence in the West Bank, business owners in Bethlehem said no one was coming.
«We have no guests. Not one,» said Joey Canavati, owner of the Alexander Hotel, whose family has lived and worked in Bethlehem for four generations.
«This is the worst Christmas ever. Bethlehem is shut down for Christmas. No Christmas tree, no joy, no Christmas spirit,» he said.
Located just south of Jerusalem, Bethlehem is heavily reliant for income and jobs on visitors from all over the world who come to see the Church of the Nativity, believed by Christians to stand on the site where Jesus was born.
Canavati said that before Oct. 7, his hotel was fully booked for Christmas, to the point that he was looking for rooms elsewhere in the town to help out people he could not fit in.
Since the war started, everyone cancelled, including bookings for next year. «All we get on the email is cancellation after cancellation after cancellation,» said Canavati.
He took Reuters TV on a tour of the hotel, opening doors to empty rooms and showing the silent dining room.
«We had at least 120 people having dinner here every night and it was packed. The noise, the people. Empty. No Christmas breakfast, no Christmas dinner, no Christmas buffet,» he said.
SURGE IN ATTACKS
Since the 1967 war between Israel and neighbouring
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