Christmas celebrations have been canceled this year and the thousands of tourists and pilgrims who would normally fill Manger Square are nowhere to be found.
The atmosphere in Bethlehem is heavy with absence. Christmas celebrations have been cancelled this year and the thousands of tourists and pilgrims who would normally fill Manger Square are nowhere to be found. "The city is empty from happiness, from joy, from kids, from Santa. There is no celebration this year," says Madeleine, a resident of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank. The famous Christmas tree, usually in the middle …