No Christmas tourists this year in Bethlehem, but there s hope for 2021
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A Palestinian girl looks at a Santa Claus display Tuesday, Christmas Eve, in Bethlehem, West Bank. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the biblical city of Jesus birth in early March and led to closed borders and no tourists for nine months. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Palestinian scouts play drums the rain in Manger Square near the Church of Nativity on Tuesday, Christmas Eve, in Bethlehem, West Bank. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the biblical city of Jesus birth in early March and led to closed borders and no tourists for nine months. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
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With pilgrims banned from Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians already reeling from the pandemic are facing a lonely Christmas in the birthplace of Jesus.
Bethlehem was thrown into turmoil in early March, when a travel agent called the Angel Hotel to say that recent Greek guests had returned home with coronavirus.
“The hotel was full, I also had 45 rooms checking in that day,” said Mariana Al Arja, general manager of the family-run hotel. “It was a mess.” Bethlehem s Angel Hotel was full when it was forced to close due to a coronavirus outbreak. Rosie Scammell for The National