Jacques Giacaman was brushing the thick layers of dust off his shop, which specializes in small Christian-inspired olive wood carvings. It sits on Manger Square, which is located opposite the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It had stayed closed for more than two years after Hamas perpetrated the October 7, 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 victims on the Israeli side. For two years, most Palestinians in the West Bank had scaled back the number and size of their official celebrations, while Israel waged its war of annihilation in the Gaza Strip, causing the deaths of more than 70,000 people there.

On October 10, a fragile ceasefire went into effect in the Palestinian enclave. The truce affected all Palestinians, and it has allowed Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas once again, even though the city, much like the rest of the occupied West Bank, has been going through a difficult period. “Our last good year was 2019. Then came the Covid pandemic. The May 2021 war between Israel and Hamas. Tourism had just started to pick up when October 7 happened. After that, nothing. But this year, I’m reopening the shop. I’m trying to restart the family business,” said Giacaman, 53, who said his family has been crafting the wooden items for four generations. On Christmas Eve, he hopes to see crowds turn out for the celebrations.

Yet the huge Christmas tree on Manger Square almost stood alone under the crystalline winter light. At its base stood a large Nativity scene. A few tourists posed for photos in front of the display. Palestinians from other West Bank cities were rarely seen.

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