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Merry Christmas from Gaza

Shahd Abusalama 26 December 2011

Being a Muslim, I never celebrated Christmas myself, but having lots of Christian friends inside and outside Palestine has connected me to this day. I’ve always shared it with them one way or another, since I believe that religion shouldn’t stand as a barrier between human beings. Here, I describe how I celebrated Christmas and how Christians in Gaza celebrate it. I recall some of my childhood memories from my only visit to the Church of Nativity since I was 9 years old. 

Christmas in Gaza: Two Narratives

Mohammed Suliman 24 December 2011

It’s Christmas Eve, and it has arrived in the Gaza Strip, the less holy part of the holy land. Palestinian Christians, both in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, are preparing to have festive celebrations despite the Israeli occupation’s repressive restrictions which have prevented most of them from getting to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, to celebrate with their fellow Palestinians in the West Bank. 

Christmas in Bethlehem

Jalal Abukhater 24 December 2011

Bethlehem, the city of peace and the birthplace of Jesus Christ, has become a ghetto in the world we know today thanks to the Israeli occupation. With over 23 physical barriers surrounding the city, apartheid wall cutting through its outskirts, and settlements strangling the city of Bethlehem from all directions, the idea of living there or even visiting this holy city has become an unpleasant and dreadful idea. 

Film: Donor Opium

Jalal Abukhater 23 December 2011

Donor Opium is a new documentary film directed by Mariam Shahin and George Azar about the impact of international aid to Palestinians. The film features Palestinian criticisms of this externally funded “development”. Featured speakers are Khaled Sabawi, Sami Abdel-Shafi, Linda Tabar, Iyad Al Riyahi and Khalil Nakhleh.