Overview
- Manger Square’s 20‑metre tree was lit on December 6, restarting public ceremonies and drawing thousands after a two-year hiatus.
- A fragile ceasefire has reopened travel to holy sites, with celebrations kept modest and prayer‑focused rather than large festivities.
- Bethlehem reports a tentative tourism rebound vital to an economy where about 80% rely on visitors, after unemployment jumped from 14% to 65% during the war.
- In Taybeh, locals reported arson of cars and a bulldozer trail toward a settlers’ outpost; the Israeli military said it deployed to a car‑fire scene but found no perpetrators.
- Christian communities continue to shrink, with about 4,000 people leaving Bethlehem for work and at least 15 families departing Taybeh over two years; the UN and the International Court of Justice deem West Bank settlements unlawful.