Gaza Christians yearn for Bethlehem
Harsh travel restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities prevent Gaza’s Christian minority from visiting Bethlehem during the holidays.
Suzy al-Najjar, Samer al-Salfiti and their daughter, Judy, gazed longingly at the Christmas tree being lit by Bishop Alexius, the pastor of the Greek Orthodox church, in the presence of dozens of parishioners from the Gaza Strip there to celebrate the lighting of the Christmas tree on Dec. 22.
Suzy, 22, and Samer, 30, wished that they could travel to Bethlehem and spend Christmas there. Suzy told Al-Monitor, “We were hoping to spend Christmas at the Church of the Nativity. But this seems impossible. There is very little festive spirit here in Gaza because of the economic situation and the limited scope of celebrations.”
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