The painful ordeal of Christian and Muslim Palestinians

Some 14,000 Christian Palestinians live in the hills of the West Bank, southeast of Bethlehem, in the small town of Beit Sahour. They have lived on this land for centuries. It's impossible to get there by car: huge piles of rubble have been deposited by the Israeli army at the entrances to the town since the Hamas attack on October 7. You have to continue on foot; the streets are empty, the town is a ghost town. Palestinians of all faiths are more ostracized than ever since the war began.

And yet, in this city run by the Palestinian Authority, Christians have always lived more or less peacefully. The Fountain of Mary chapel stands in the middle of a square. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary drank water here during her flight to Egypt. And although Beit Sahour has been part of the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, the town is known for its non-violent resistance during the last intifadas.

Joseph runs his father's grocery store in his absence. At 23, this native of Beit Sahour is a fervent Orthodox Christian. He never leaves the shop without kissing a statuette of the Virgin Mary. Since October 7, he has been on the alert, particularly with regard to the Israeli soldiers, who patrol day and night. "Before, it was easy for us to go to Israel because of our faith, but Tsahal doesn't differentiate between Palestinians anymore."  Since the Hamas attack, Christians and Muslims have rallied around their Palestinian identity. They are one and the same. The inhabitants of Beit Sahour remain confined to their homes. Firas Ibrahim, 33, sports an imposing crown of Christ's thorns tattooed on his forearm. "I am a proud Christian (...) We are no longer allowed to enter Israel."

A few hundred yards from Beit Sahour, the city of Bethlehem keeps a religious watch over its faithful. The city's hotels are empty of tourists and between 3,000 and 4,000 Palestinians working in Israel are out of work, unable to enter the country. "This has an impact on our whole economy, since people no longer have any purchasing power and can't buy anything in our stores here," laments Father Issa Hijazeen, priest of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Bethlehem. Without foreign pilgrims and worshippers, the soul of Bethlehem is gradually emptying out.

Adapted from: lavie.fr