Patriarch Michel Sabbah: Israel is determined to cause more death, and Christmas came to carry a message of peace and salvation to the oppressed and tormented

Ambassador Vera Baboun: Peace is a right for many that they live automatically, but for the Palestinians it is a deep aspiration

Hatim Abdel Qader: The world is required to recall the meanings of the birth of Christ and his message in order to achieve justice and peace for the Palestinian people

Dr. Bernard Sabella: The face of the Child Jesus is seen in the faces of children suffering the ravages of war and occupation in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon

Wadih Abu Nassar: Palestinians are living in a sad atmosphere due to the ongoing war in Gaza, but the light will shine no matter how long the darkness lasts

Tony Khashram: Christmas comes amidst a sad reality imposed by war, and scenes of celebrations and tourists are absent again this year

Richard Zananiri: The land of Christmas is sad and the children live in fear and panic from the unjust scenes.. Isn’t it time for them to live in justice and peace?!

Today, the Palestinian people and Christian sects that follow the Western calendar celebrate Christmas, whose activities this year are limited to religious rituals due to the continuation of the war of extermination on the Gaza Strip for more than a year, and the escalation of aggression on the West Bank in light of the racist Israeli plans aimed at annexation and displacing Palestinians from their lands.

On this occasion, which is also a national occasion in the Palestinian territories, and an occasion to affirm unity and brotherhood among the sons of one people from all walks of life, a number of religious men and leaders sent messages of love and peace from the cradle of Jesus Christ to the world, calling for support for the Palestinian people to lift injustice from them, and to recall the meanings of the birth of Christ and his message in order to achieve justice and peace for the Palestinian people.

Christmas is peace and love despite war and destruction

Former Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah, in a touching message on the occasion of Christmas, stressed that the holiday comes this year as well amidst the ongoing war, death and destruction, especially in Gaza, where “people are dying, young and old.”

He added: "Israel is determined to kill more, and yet Christmas has come, and Christmas says: Peace."

Patriarch Sabbah pointed out that Christmas carries a message to all the oppressed and tormented of peace, salvation and love. It is a call directed to Israel and all the powerful people of the world that man was created in the image of God to love, not to kill, and to make peace, not wars.

He added: "Christmas is not only for Christians, but it is a holiday for all humanity: for the Jew, the Muslim, and the Druze. It is a holiday of peace and love."

He stressed that this holiday is a call for people to reform themselves, and that it is a call for Palestinians to work to be worthy of their freedom, independence and happiness.

The Patriarch also called on Israel to return to its humanity, saying: "Israel is still on the path to war, and war will come back to bite it. It will not find life for itself in the death it causes, but in death it finds death."

Patriarch Sabbah concluded his words by praying to God, saying: “O Lord, I was in this land two thousand years ago. Return to it now, return to it peace, justice and love, and return peace to the hearts of all people.”

He concluded his message by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, saying: “Happy New Year.”

December is a time for deep reflection, celebration and renewal.

Ambassador Vera Baboun, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Chile, sent a message on the occasion of the glorious Christmas holidays, saying in her message: “December is a time for deep reflection, celebration and renewal, as the holy season of the birth of Jesus Christ represents the call to honor and renew the values of peace, hope and justice, especially as we Palestinians face our second Nakba in 76 years.”

“For many, peace is a right that comes naturally to them. For Palestinians, peace is a deep aspiration – a cherished blessing that has yet to be fulfilled,” she added.

Ambassador Baboun noted that as we celebrate the holy season of Christmas, our thoughts turn to Bethlehem – the city that witnessed the birth of the Prince of Peace and which remains an enduring symbol of compassion, goodwill and our common humanity.

She stressed that Bethlehem's permanent message calls us to defend justice and preserve the dignity of every human being, while envisioning a future in which peace is not a privilege for just a few, but a shared reality for all, including the Palestinian people.

Ambassador Baboun concluded her message by wishing a new year full of peace.

The world must commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ by lifting the injustice against the Palestinian people.

Celebrating Christmas while the Gaza Strip is still being genocided

Hatem Abdel Qader, Secretary General of the Islamic Christian Authority for the Support of Jerusalem and the Holy Sites, said: “While the world is celebrating Christmas, a great occasion that embodies the highest human meanings, our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip are being subjected to a brutal war of extermination and ethnic cleansing unprecedented in modern history.”

Abdul Qader added: The world is called upon on this occasion to recall the meanings of the birth of Jesus Christ and embody his humanitarian message and moral teachings in order to lift injustice, suffering and oppression and achieve justice and peace for the Palestinian people.

Abdul Qader stressed the depth of the Islamic-Christian cohesion embodied by the Covenant of Omar and its foundation in the blood of the Palestinian people, Muslims and Christians, in defending the Arab identity of the city of Jerusalem and its Islamic-Christian sanctities, and the Palestinian people standing as one in confronting the occupation’s plans.

Abdul Qader expressed his hope that this occasion would be a source of inspiration and inspiration for all the Palestinian people to affirm and consolidate the bonds of unity and cohesion, calling on God to bring back this occasion when our people have achieved their national aspirations for freedom, independence, and the establishment of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

A humanitarian message to the children of Palestine, Syria and Lebanon

In a humane message full of emotions, Dr. Bernard Sabella, a university professor at Al-Quds University, believes that the face of the child Jesus is seen in the faces of children suffering from the scourge of war and occupation in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and even around the world.

Dr. Sabella said: “I saw the face of the Child Jesus in the faces of the children of Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and the suffering and dreaming children of the world.”

He added: The face of the child Jesus is revealed in the tents of refugees, in the darkness of prisons, and in the patience and hope of man, despite the cruelty of the jailer and the injustice.

He pointed out that the face of the child Jesus represents a message of peace and love, far from favoritism of rulers and those with influence and power, stressing that this face rejects wars, violence and destruction, and cries out, saying: “Enough with hatred and destruction, enough with killing and revenge.”

Dr. Sabella explained that the face of the baby Jesus reflects hope for a world free of discrimination, where there is no difference between one human being and another.

He added: "The face of the child Jesus is a message of hope and love for this suffering East, which dreams of peace and an end to the chains of injustice, wars and occupation."

Dr. Sabella pointed out that the face of the Child Jesus is associated with the city of Bethlehem, the city whose light never goes out, but always shines with hope, love and peace.

Palestinian Christians' feelings this year seem mixed.

For his part, the specialist in church affairs, Wadih Abu Nassar, believes that the feelings of Palestinian Christians this year seem mixed. On the one hand, they celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, which represents hope and optimism.

He said that the light will shine no matter how long the darkness lasts. On the other hand, the Palestinians are living in a sad atmosphere due to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Abu Nassar pointed out that Palestinians are not only losing lives, but are living in a state of panic, fear and insecurity, whether it is physical or food security. This is what gives the atmosphere a sad character.

He explained that Palestinian Christians decided, for the most part, to celebrate the holiday inside churches and their courtyards, to maintain hope and optimism through prayer, hymns and spiritual celebration. However, manifestations of joy were absent from the streets and public places, such as traditional marches and joyful celebrations.

Abu Nassar added that this reality reflects the Palestinian Christ’s connection to his people, and his desire for everyone to enjoy peace, security and dignity in their homeland.

He expressed his hope that this would be the last holiday celebrated under these circumstances, wishing that the war would end soon and that normal life would return to Palestine.

He pointed out that many Palestinian Christians hope for stability, because instability does not only affect those who suffer directly, but also has a negative impact on everyone in the region.

Abu Nassar also expressed his concern about the increasing emigration among Palestinian Christians, which also includes Christians inside Israel.

He explained that this concern is evident in the decline in marriage and birth rates, and the significant increase in the number of people leaving the country in search of a better life.

Abu Nassar expressed his hope that things would change for the better, and that every person would feel that he lives with dignity and freedom in his homeland.

Christmas symbolizes love, justice, peace and life.

Richard Zananiri, Director General of the Bishop's School in Jerusalem, said: Christmas symbolizes love, justice, peace, life, hope and joy, because the Child of the Manger, Jesus Christ, is the King of Peace, Love and Justice.

He added: He is the Palestinian who was born, raised, grew up, lived, suffered and died in Palestine. Today, he is pained by the suffering of his people who groan under the yoke of the arrogance of the usurping occupation that is committing the most heinous crimes and genocide against our people in the beloved Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem. In this context, we recall the words of the immortal leader "Abu Ammar" when he said in Manger Square: "Jesus Christ is the first martyr of this wounded homeland."

Zananiri continued saying: Although I personally consider myself, like the rest of my people, an optimist, and we do not despair and always live in hope that the future is better, and that we plant hope, despite the pain, and we do not depend on anyone but ourselves, and he wondered how we can celebrate Christmas while the land, homeland and people of Christmas are sad, Christmas is joy, the joy of children is the most beautiful gift of the holiday, but even children live in a state of fear and panic from the unjust scenes, do not our children have the right to be happy and live like the rest of the children of the world? Do not our children have the right to enjoy and live the message of Christmas, which is love, justice, peace and security?

He stressed that sadness is common these days because of the painful scenes we are witnessing against our people in the destroyed Gaza Strip, asking how can I be happy while my people are being subjected to the most heinous types of genocide in this modern era? How can I be happy with the birth of the Child of the Cave while there are children without shelter, food, drink, or families?

He pointed out that these are the facts that the occupation is trying to hide from the world, but it will not succeed in doing so, despite the clear negligence and shameful silence of the countries of the world in the face of these daily and tragic scenes and the double standards in favor of the brutal occupation and the failure to punish it for its actions and crimes.

Zananiri touched on the insolence of the occupation in calling His Holiness the Pope of the Vatican, the highest Catholic religious authority in the world who represents more than a billion and a half Catholic Christians, anti-Semitic because of his positions against the genocide in the Gaza Strip, in addition to His Holiness the Pope’s use of the Palestinian keffiyeh and swaddling the child in the manger in the Vatican Square as a firm and supportive position for the justice of our cause, and the Palestinian keffiyeh represents a symbol of our just cause, in addition to the occupation’s position on the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, as well as the head of the Relief Agency and other leaders.

He hoped that the Christmas star would bring the good news of achieving justice and just peace in Palestine, the land and cradle of the holy heavenly religions, and the establishment of our independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the release of all our valiant prisoners.

Zananiri appealed to the world that these holy lands need everyone’s prayers to lift the injustice from our people and nation, and he said: We will remain Muslims and Christians, breathing from one lung and chanting from the minarets of mosques and the bells of churches so that our voices will resound throughout the world to pay attention to the injustice and oppression that our proud Palestinian people are suffering from, because we have the right to live in freedom and dignity because we are the last people in the world living under brutal occupation.

Zananiri hoped to achieve unity, which is the safety valve before us, and to put the homeland above every position, faction, location, or personal interests.

Christmas is also a Palestinian national holiday.

The accredited tourism consultant, Tony Khashram, believes that this year’s Christmas celebrations come amidst a sad reality imposed by war and aggression, as Palestine’s hotels were usually full, and the streets of Jerusalem and Bethlehem were crowded with tourists and pilgrims. However, these scenes were absent again this year.

Khashram explained that the patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem announced the cancellation of all festive activities planned for Christmas this year, with celebrations limited to prayers and church and religious rituals.

He added that the repercussions of the war have greatly affected the tourism sector, with losses exceeding one billion dollars this year. This has particularly affected the city of Bethlehem, which relies entirely on foreign tourism.

He stressed that this stoppage has paralyzed the work of tourism service providers, including inbound tourism offices, hotels, tour guides, tourist restaurants, bus drivers, and souvenir shops, in addition to pottery, traditional jewelry, leather, and silver workshops, which has led to the layoff of many workers in these sectors.

Khashram pointed out that the economy of the Palestinian community in the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem depends largely on visitors and incoming tourism, explaining that the absence of a national visit program directed at visitors from within or foreigners residing in Palestine poses a major challenge to the tourism sector in light of the current situation.

However, Khashram stressed the importance of adhering to the spirit of Christmas, saying: “Christmas is a Palestinian national holiday that will not stop no matter how bad the circumstances get, how difficult the situation becomes, and how difficult life becomes. It celebrates the story of the birth and life of Jesus Christ, the Messenger of Peace, and is an essential part of the Palestinian identity.”

Khashram also stressed the importance of preserving the Christian identity of the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, their global status, and the amazing human and cultural heritage they contain that dazzles the world.