JAKARTA - December 25th is the most awaited time for Christians. The birthday of Jesus Christ is always greeted with joy. The birth of the Savior was also used as a moment to get closer to God, to get to know more about the journey that He had taken.
One of the cities that many people go to for Christmas is the hometown of Jesus, Bethlehem. The trail in the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus was born, becomes an important moment when it is done right on the day of His birth.
Christmas in Bethlehem is not only welcomed by Christians, but Muslims who live there also feel the joy. On Christmas Eve, there are parades across the city. The parade usually features the bagpipes which are a tradition left over from British soldiers. The bagpipe tradition was inherited by the British, who between 1920 and 1948 occupied Bethlehem. In the parade, people also dressed in Santa Claus and distributed sweets. The main streets and squares are decorated with twinkling lights.
Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem start from early December and last until January. For congregants who cannot visit Bethlehem on December 24 or December 25, they can still participate in Christmas celebrations with other Christian denominations such as the Greek Orthodox which celebrates Christmas on January 7 and some Armenian Apostolic churches that celebrate Christmas on January 6. The Christmas celebrations will continue until January so that the Christmas spirit will be felt for longer.
Bethlehem is not just the hometown of Jesus and is a destination city for spiritual journeys for Christians from all over the world. The problems experienced by this small town are much more complex. Bethlehem is located in the West Bank, making the city controlled by Israel, which is in conflict with Palestine.
Christians from other countries can easily get permission to visit Bethlehem, but it is so difficult for Gaza Christians to obtain a visit permit. In fact, for Gaza Christians, it is mandatory to be in Bethlehem at Christmas time. They can gather with their families there, as well as worship solemnly in the holy city.
"Christians come to the Church of the Nativity from all over the world, while Christians in Palestine suffer adversity in their right to travel, worship and visit relatives," said Haneen Elias al-Jilda, a Christian in Gaza, quoted by the Irish Times.
Prohibition from Israel
Unfortunately, this joy may not be felt by Christians living in the Gaza Strip. As the Christmas holidays draw near, Christians in the region always worry that they will not be able to travel to some of the holy sites in the West Bank, where their relatives gather.
The Israeli authorities have not fully granted permission to Gaza Christians. Even in 2018, only 700 Christians were allowed to enter the West Bank. Meanwhile, the total number of Christians in the Gaza Strip is around 1,000. Some Christians who obtained travel permits to visit holy sites at Easter 2019 never returned to Gaza. They choose to start a new, better life elsewhere.
After announcing that the Israeli authorities would not give permission for Christians in Gaza to come to the West Bank, many protests were staged by church leaders in Israel. Israel then revised its rules by stating that the Israeli side would only grant permits to 100 people over 45 years of age. Those who get permission are only allowed to travel from Gaza to Jordan, not to the West Bank.
Of the roughly 1,000 Christians in Gaza, 950 have applied for permission to Israel to be able to travel to the West Bank for Christmas. Permitting is also another problem because Israel is not transparent in providing information on what conditions must be met in order to celebrate Christmas in the West Bank.
After passing back and forth changing rules, Israel again changed its granting of permits and said it would give permission for 500 people to travel to the West Bank from Gaza. However, the decision was canceled hours later.
Quoted from the Times of Israel, the heads of Catholic churches in Israel expressed frustration over the rule. The vague statements suggest that less than a week before Christmas, Israel failed to provide a clear answer. Church leaders have also stated that failure to grant permission to visit the West Bank to celebrate Christmas would violate the religious freedom of Gazans.
Until finally on December 22, 2019, or 3 days before Christmas, Christians in the Gaza Strip were allowed to visit the holy cities in the West Bank such as Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Gazans only hope that permission to visit the West Bank will be made easier. Since her life in Gaza is difficult enough, don't make her relationship with God difficult anymore.
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