Adam Rasgon, The New York Times
Published: 24 Dec 2020 02:23 PM BdST
Updated: 24 Dec 2020 02:24 PM BdST A man sits looking at his smartphone at the nearly deserted Manger Square, normally teeming with visitors during the Christmas season, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Dec 18, 2020. (Samar Hazboun/The New York Times) Inside the Bethlehem Hotel, normally teeming with visitors during the Christmas season, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Dec 19, 2020. (Samar Hazboun/The New York Times) Decorations hang from a modest wire tree at Lorette Zoughbi s home she and her husband have a full-size one they decided not to bother putting up this Christmas in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Dec 18, 2020. (Samar Hazboun/The New York Times)
King Abdullah Sends Christmas Massage to Jordanian, Palestinian Christians Published December 24th, 2020 - 07:32 GMT
King Abdullah (AFP File Folder)
His Majesty King Abdullah and HRH Crown Prince Hussein on Wednesday expressed best wishes to Jordanian and Palestinian Christians on the occasions of Christmas and the New Year.
Speaking at a teleconference meeting with church leaders from Jordan and Jerusalem, and Islamic awqaf representatives, King Abdullah voiced hope that next year will bring blessings for all, according to a Royal Court statement.
His Majesty reaffirmed that Jordan stands with the Palestinians and supports the steadfastness of Jerusalemites.
For his part, Crown Prince Al Hussein also paid tribute to the perseverance of Jerusalemites and their dedication to safeguarding holy sites despite all the challenges they face, expressing solidarity with the Palestinians and noting the King’s statements on safeguarding holy sites as a religious duty.
Bethlehem scales down Christmas celebrations amid Covid-19 pandemic english.wafa.ps - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from english.wafa.ps Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Son of a Mixed Marriage: On Naji Bakhti’s “Between Beirut and the Moon”
Naji Bakhti
EARLY INTO Naji Bakhti’s
Between Beirut and the Moon, the novel’s protagonist Adam hides in a single bathroom with his family from Israeli aircraft bombs dropping in the distance. As the hours pass, Adam’s father asks him and his younger sister about school, literature, and soccer to distract them, while his chain-smoking mother reminds him that he’s “lucky” because he will now have inspiration as a writer later on. Adam resents his mother’s positive spin; not only does he find her use of black humor unsettling after all, no citizenry would possibly be thankful for being bombed but he dreams with unflinching determination of becoming an astronaut, not a writer: “I wanted to shout back … to exclaim that there was probably infinitely more inspiration in space than there ever would be in a tiny old bathroom in Beirut.”
Skromne Boże Narodzenie w Betlejem rp.pl - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rp.pl Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.