फिलस्तीन – आवारा मुसाफिर

Another bleak Christmas in Bethlehem as Christian families quit West Bank

December 1, 2024168 Views

For a second year running, there is no Christmas cheer in Bethlehem, with tourists shunning the Palestinian city and many residents seeking a way out as the Gaza war grinds on. Bethlehem's Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity is largely deserted and souvenir shops are shuttered. Once again, there are no plans to put up the traditional light-festooned Christmas Tree in the ancient settlement that is venerated by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus and now sits in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Orthodox priest Issa Thaljieh walks in the Church of the Nativity as no tourists are seen, in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma "During these difficult times that our Palestinian cities are going through, especially in ...

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‘Worst Christmas ever’ in birthplace of Jesus as impact of war empties Bethlehem

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 11, 2023587 Views

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...

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No Christmas tree in Bethlehem as holiday pared down over Gaza war

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 3, 2023595 Views

There will be no Christmas tree in Bethlehem this year as the traditional site of Jesus' birth holds pared-down celebrations "without the fanfare and without too many lights" in the shadow of the Gaza war. Bethlehem, which neighbours Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, has been battered by Israeli-Palestinian clashes of years past. But many townspeople have been especially gripped by the current conflict in the Gaza Strip, 50 km (30 miles) away. A man lights a candle as he prepares the Church of the Nativity on the day of the launch of the beginning of the Christmas season, as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad In the early days of every December, church l...

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At least 125 tombs discovered at Roman-era cemetery in Gaza

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

July 24, 2023729 Views

Archaeologists working on a 2,000-year-old Roman cemetery discovered in Gaza last year have found at least 125 tombs, most with skeletons still largely intact, and two rare lead sarcophaguses, the Palestinian Ministry of Antiquities said. The impoverished Palestinian territory was an important trading post for civilisations as far back as the ancient Egyptians and the Philistines depicted in the Bible, through the Roman empire and the crusades. In the past, local archaeologists reburied findings for lack of funding but French organisations have helped excavate this site, discovered in February last year by a construction crew working on an Egyptian-funded housing project. Palestinians uncover a Roman-era cemetery in Gaza, July 23, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem "It is the first ...

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Bethlehem rebounds from pandemic, lifting Christmas spirits

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 24, 2022575 Views

The biblical town of Bethlehem marked what was shaping up to be a merry Christmas on Saturday, with thousands of visitors expected to descend upon the traditional birthplace of Jesus as it rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic. Tourism is the economic lifeblood of this town in the occupied West Bank, and for the past two years, the pandemic kept international visitors away. This year, visitors are back, hotels are full and shopkeepers have reported a brisk business in the runup to the holiday. People gather in Manger Square, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) “We are celebrating Christmas this year in a very much different way t...

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Jerusalem chef gives tourists a Palestinian taste of life in the Old City

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 22, 2022556 Views

Palestinian chef Izzeldin Bukhari begins the tours he offers to the Old City of Jerusalem with breakfast at Abu Shukri's hummus restaurant which he says serves the perfect balance of chickpeas, tahina and lemon juice. "Palestinian cuisine really utilizes what the land has to offer," Bukhari says, explaining that these heavily plant-based recipes are deeply rooted in a connection to the local produce. Izzeldin Abdul Aziz Bukhari, founder of SacredCuisine, guides a group of tourists in a spice shop at a market in Jerusalem's Old City, December 11, 2022. REUTERS/Ammar Awad Bukhari, descended from Sufi mystics who walked to Jerusalem from Bukhara in Uzbekistan 400 years ago, takes guests down the narrow streets of the Old City, to food stalls and restaurants, telling stories of recip...

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Bethlehem welcomes Christmas tourists after pandemic lull

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 16, 2022769 Views

Business is bouncing back in Bethlehem after two years in the doldrums during the coronavirus pandemic, lifting spirits in the traditional birthplace of Jesus ahead of the Christmas holiday. Streets are bustling with tour groups. Hotels are fully booked, and months of deadly Israeli-Palestinian fighting appears to be having little effect on the vital tourism industry. An Ethiopian woman and her child visit the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/ Mahmoud Illean) Elias Arja, head of the Bethlehem hotel association, said that tourists are hungry to visit the Holy Land’s religious sites after suffering through lockdowns and travel restrictions in recent years. He ex...

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Palestinian farmer discovers rare ancient treasure in Gaza

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

September 17, 2022885 Views

Last spring, a Palestinian farmer was planting a new olive tree when his shovel hit a hard object. He called his son, and for three months, the pair slowly excavated an ornate Byzantine-era mosaic that experts say is one of the greatest archaeological treasures ever found in Gaza. The discovery has set off excitement among archaeologists, and the territory’s Hamas rulers are planning a major announcement in the coming days. But it is also drawing calls for better protection of Gaza’s antiquities, a fragile collection of sites threatened by a lack of awareness and resources as well as the constant risk of conflict between Israel and local Palestinian militants. Palestinians clean around a Byzantine-era mosaic floor that was uncovered recently by a farmer in Bureij in central Gaza ...

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Sandwiches and a safe space: a Gaza restaurant run by women, for women

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

September 13, 2022643 Views

A Palestinian woman has realised her dream of becoming a chef in the male-dominated Gaza Strip thanks to a new eatery where she heads an all-female staff looking after an all-female clientele. Opened last month and offering light meals like chicken sandwiches and pizza, "Sabaia VIP" has been doing brisk business in a conservative and congested enclave where some women complain of lacking private and safe leisure venues. Palestinian chef Amena Al-Hayek observes staff working at the newly-opened women-only restaurant, called Sabaia VIP, in Gaza City September 6, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem The chef, Amena Al-Hayek, trained at a hotel restaurant where she worked for free. Although there were openings there for new chefs, she was never considered. "The administration rejected (me...

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Giant eye murals bear witness to Palestinians in Jerusalem

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

August 28, 2022246 Views

A group of artists has filled a Palestinian area of east Jerusalem with paintings of large, wide-open eyes. The murals are a reminder that all eyes are on the neighborhood of Silwan, a flashpoint where Palestinians say Israeli forces and settlers are working to drive them out of their homes. The eye murals are so giant that they make you feel they are watching you wherever you walk in the neighborhood. Many are painted on the walls of decaying Palestinian homes alongside national symbols. Murals that are part of the public art project 'I Witness Silwan' depicting the eyes of local and international figures, including George Floyd, a Black American killed by police, top right, in the Silwan neighbourhood of east Jerusalem, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/ Mahmoud Illean) “The sta...