Quick Read By Fatima Abdulkarim Correspondent
The impact on Bethlehem from the loss of tourism and the Christmastime pilgrimage is hard to overstate: 28,000 of the 35,000 West Bank Palestinians working in tourism who lost their jobs due to the pandemic are from Bethlehem district, and 99% of tourism-related businesses in the area have closed, officials say.
But a tourism-free Christmas in the birthplace of Jesus is bringing something else in its place: Rather than a time of work, hustle, and packed streets, there’s a tranquil focus on family.
Why We Wrote This
For the residents of Bethlehem, as for people around the world, the pandemic’s extreme hardships – amplified in a tourist economy – have been a test of resilience. Yet this Christmas, there is still something to cherish.
The Saudi-led coalition has cleared four fuel ships to dock at Yemen s Red Sea port of Hodeidah, two sources familiar.
Jerusalem’s Greek Orthodox Archbishop, Atallah Hanna, called the memo “inflammatory,” but said it “will not harm our unity and good relations.”
Hamas said the reaction was exaggerated and that it only wanted to ensure Muslims marked Christian holidays in accordance with Islamic law.
“There was never any intention to offend Christians or limit their ability to celebrate and perform their religious rituals,” said Bassem Naim, a Hamas official.
The ministry, which is tasked with running Gaza’s mosques and looking after Muslim and Christian affairs in the coastal strip, quickly released a statement saying Christians “have the right to hold their religious celebrations and they can’t be offended or be restricted.”.
Push to ban pro-Kurdish HDP erodes Turkey’s political pluralism further
The price for Erdogan’s attempts to silence Turkey’s Kurdish population will have to be paid for years to come
Timing of HDP charges suggests Turkey is becoming more repressive against the Kurds and even more nationalistic
Updated 26 March 2021
March 25, 2021 21:05
MISSOURI, USA: Every March, Kurds, Persians, Azeris, Tajiks, and others celebrate Newroz, the spring equinox festival of the new year. In the Kurdish version of Newroz, legends surrounding the festival focus on a mythical blacksmith of antiquity named Kawa, who saved normal people from a terrible tyrant. The Kurdish version of Newroz therefore comes replete with connotations of freedom from tyranny, oppression, and injustice.
Home » Local » King, Crown Prince extend best wishes to Jordanian, Palestinian Christians on occasion of Christmas
King, Crown Prince extend best wishes to Jordanian, Palestinian Christians on occasion of Christmas
Church leaders reiterate importance of Hashemite Custodianship of holy sites in Jerusalem
By JT - Dec 23,2020 - Last updated at Dec 23,2020
His Majesty King Abdullah takes part in a teleconference meeting, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, with church leaders from Jordan and Jerusalem, and Islamic awqaf representatives, on Wednesday (Photo courtesy of Royal Court)
AMMAN 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.
Gregory Farah on his yearly Christmas walk from Jerusalem to Bethlehem in 1973
Last weekend I participated, virtually, in a Simulcast that joined Palestinian Christians in the beautiful Christmas church in Bethlehem, Palestine; several congregations in Philadelphia, USA; and over 500 online participants from several countries. The interdenominational service went back and forth in Arabic and English between both cities.
Mary Qamar Farah and Gregory Farah in 1944
The reading in Arabic of the story of Jesus’ birth, from Luke, Chapter 2, brought tears to my eyes. I am a Palestinian-American born and raised in Jerusalem and consider myself an “interfaith” person. My father, Gregory Farah, was a devout Christian; he read to us the same Luke Ch. 2 verses when my family gathered around our decorated tree every Christmas Eve in Jerusalem. Earlier that day, for many years, my siblings and I would accompany him on a six-mile walk from the southern outskirts of Jerusalem to