Christmas in Bethlehem: Yasser Arafat's presence in Bethlehem this Christmas threatens the traditional holiday celebration

Insight on the News, Dec 25, 1995 by Suzanne Zima

Yasser Arafat's presence in Bethlehem this Christmas threatens the traditional holiday celebration.

This year Christmas will be different," says Elias Freij, mayor of Bethlehem. "A dual celebration - Christmas and the withdrawal of the Israeli authorities." With the Israeli army scheduled to "redeploy" out of the area on Dec. 18 and the Palestinian police ready to move in, this will be the first Christmas in Bethlehem under Palestinian rule, and the first time under Palestinian security.

Townspeople know the world will be watching the annual Christmas Eve broadcast via satellite television. As a local hotel employee named Eddy tells Insight, "This is the first occasion for the Palestinian Authority to tell the whole world they can administer responsibly. It is a kind of test for them. If they fail the first test, it would be horrible - so they have to do it."

Ceremonies, protocol and security procedures on Christmas Eve in Bethlehem will be the same as in other years. "Everything is the same," says Freij, "since the British, since Jordanian rule, since Israeli rule. Only now it is us - Palestinian rule." The mayor says he expects 8,000 tourists and pilgrims - double the number of last year's crowd. Hotels report they were already fully booked by mid-November. Last year, hotels were half-empty on Christmas Eve.

There will be the usual marching bands - this year outfitted with new uniforms. Five thousand Boy Scouts, complete with bagpipes and drums, will march and play in the procession into Bethlehem on Christmas Day, led by the Jerusalem Latin Patriarch. These scouts range in age up to 60 years old - no one gets left out of the festivities - and at least half of them will be Muslim.

In fact, the bulk of the crowd, which Freij estimates this year will be as high as 30,000, is likely to be Muslim. Christmas in Bethlehem is celebrated jointly by Muslims and Christians - the latter being but 2 percent of the Palestinian people. Yet for both it is Jesus' birthday - one as holy savior, the other as holy prophet. Both the New Testament and the Koran report the virgin birth at the little town of Bethlehem.

What makes this year's vigil different is that visitors and natives alike are being promised a chance to celebrate not only the birth of Jesus but also the coming to Bethlehem of Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestinian Authority. Arafat's spokesmen refuse to say whether he will arrive on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or the day after. Speculation is rife. Those familiar with Arafat's ways say it is unlikely that even Arafat knows. "This is the Middle East," they point out, and plans are made and changed on an hour's notice. Others predict he will arrive in time for the worldwide satellite broadcast.

Rumor says Arafat "invited everyone in the world" to Bethlehem for Christmas - many during the Amman economic conference last October. "It is turning into a huge media event," a local clergyman complains to Insight. But his comment does not mean that he or anyone else here is criticizing Arafat for using Christmas for political purposes. "Christmas in Bethlehem is always a political and diplomatic event, this is nothing new," explains the clergyman.

But there's concern that a crowd of 30,000 might show up to see the dignitaries. "I don't think people mind Arafat making speeches, but the number of people who are going to be there - will it interfere with the religious ceremonies?" a clergyman asks. People are afraid the crowds will follow Arafat rather than the Patriarch. Remembering the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, they also fear for the safety of everyone in authority.

And some of the religious complain, diplomatically, that it gets a bit distracting to pray with all those tourists and politicians milling about. Says one priest, "The only place worse is Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem." Another says, "I try to stay away from as many of these holy sites as possible - it doesn't do much for my spirituality."

Along with speculation about when Arafat is coming, some political observers are talking about why he is coming. "He [Arafat] is promoting Bethlehem everywhere he goes. Is this a sign that Bethlehem is going to be an administrative center?" asks a seasoned political observer. "From a political point of view, Bethlehem can be used by the Palestinian leadership as a symbolic capital until the settlement of the peace process." The veteran notes Bethlehem may be a better location than the other contenders - Gaza, Jericho or Ramallah. And Bethlehem is only nine kilometers from East Jerusalem.

But, as Christmas nears, Bethlehem must be described as very quiet. It may not be a sleepy little town, but at the moment it is subdued, rundown, seedy The streets near Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity are filled, as usual, with Israeli soldiers. The Arabs want the soldiers out; everyone talks about "no more checkposts." The town seems to be under military occupation - and for a few more days it is.

Manger Square, surrounded by tiny souvenir shops and grim restaurants, would have a distinctly unsavory atmosphere if one did not know the story of that silent night nearly 2000 years ago. Street urchins boldly accost tourist and visitors, shoving, blocking and pleading for a sale or a handout. It is all a very long way from a Christmas pageant.