"There will be a greater exodus of Christians": Bethlehem canceled Christmas and said it is to honor the "martyrs of Gaza"

In the city of Bethlehem Christmas was different. Authorities first canceled all Christmas celebrations intended to honor the "martyrs of Gaza" and on December 24 they held activities they called "Nativity Under the Ruins," which included Jesus being born under a bombardment.

In addition, the city insisted on saying that Jesus' family was Palestinian, something that is false. "It represents the idea of the suffering of the Holy Family, the first Palestinian refugee family who also suffered oppression, rejection and displacement and were exposed to the first historical calamities when they fled to Egypt after the birth of Jesus Christ."

In the midst of the situation, theologian Jonathan Morris warns that the way in which the Christmas holidays in the city have been affected is a threat to Christians in Bethlehem. Morris maintained that a holiday that Christians consider sacred is ending.

There will be a greater exodus of Christians from Bethlehem

Likewise, he pointed out that tourism will be affected by the cancellation of Christmas because tourists travel to the city precisely because it was the place where Jesus Christ was born. Tourist visits to the city represent at least 90% of income, according to Jesuralem Post.

"When you turn over a Christian holiday — a sacred holiday — to politicians, it's going to be desecrated, and that's what we're seeing in Bethlehem," Morris explained during a conversation with Fox News.

Likewise, he pointed out that tourism at Christmas is the way in which many Christians generated income in the Bethlehem. For this reason, he maintained that it is likely that there will be an exodus of citizens from the city.

"That's how Christians made a living. So, we can be sure that not only has tourism dropped off almost entirely, but there will be a further exodus of Christians from Bethlehem, and that's tragic," Morris said.

However, it is not something new. Christians have been persecuted in the city and this has led to the decline of this religious group in Bethlehem. A study by the University of Notre Dame explained that by 2022, 1,300 Christians remained in Gaza, compared to the 3,000 estimated before 2007.