Baby Jesus under the rubble

 

 

Al Jazeera English

Nida Ibrahim is in Bethlehem, where the war is having a profound impact on Christmas.

Global Christian Leaders to Spend Christmas in Bethlehem in Solidarity with Palestinians

By Nurah Tape

A delegation of Christian leaders from around the world, including a cohort from South Africa, are to spend Christmas in Bethlehem in a demonstration of solidarity with Palestinians in the occupied territories, as well as the Gaza Strip.

Upon the invitation of Palestinian Christian leaders, and organized by Kairos Southern Africa and Kairos Palestine, the group traveled via Jordan and arrived in Jerusalem on Thursday.

The group will spend time in Jerusalem before attending various services in Bethlehem, including the Christmas midnight mass, and the annual peace march.

“Bethlehem, being the birthplace of Jesus, is of course deeply significant at this time,” the South African Council of Churches (SACC) said in a statement.

It said “of similar significance are the parallels between the time of Jesus’ birth and now, which are hard to ignore.”

“Then, the land was under occupation by the Roman Empire. Now, the occupier is the state of Israel. Then, King Herod carried out a genocide of boys under the age of two. Now, Israel is carrying out a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza which is now spilling over to the West Bank, and more than 8,000 children have been killed,” the statement said.