Palestinian PM lights Christmas tree in Bethlehem

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Saturday evening officially lit the Christmas tree in Bethlehem’s Manger Square during a ceremony to open this year’s Christmas celebrations.

Hamdallah told the crowd that Bethlehem had been brightly lit with Christmas decorations despite the “wounds” it had suffered in recent months, as he congratulated Palestinian Christians on the holiday.

His presence in the city was accompanied by heavy security measures in and around Manger Square, which borders the Nativity Church – traditionally held as the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Bethlehem’s Mayor Vera Baboun said: “Today we light the Christmas tree to show the world that we are people who deserve to live.”

This year’s Christmas celebrations are scheduled to go ahead, but they are likely to be overshadowed by the unrest that has swept the occupied Palestinian territory in recent months.

Baboun said at a press conference on Thursday that while it was Bethlehem’s “duty” to go ahead with the celebrations, “special arrangements” would be announced early next week to reflect the current circumstances.

The latest round of violence has seen at least 111 Palestinians and 19 Israelis killed, while thousands more Palestinian protesters have been shot and wounded by Israeli forces.

People attend the lighting of a Christmas tree in Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on December 5, 2015. Images by Anadolu Agency.

This news item was first published on Ma’an news agency.