Scouts in red berets playing bagpipes and drums conducted their annual march past Manger Square on Sunday, as the faithful prepared for midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity, the site of the birthplace of Jesus.
But the square—normally thronged on Christmas eve—was unusually empty. Most of those present were Palestinians, not foreign tourists. Palestinian University students handed out flyers wishing a merry Christmas and reminding visitors "Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine."
Locals estimated there were fewer than half as many tourists as last year in Manger Square on Sunday afternoon. Many stayed away, deterred by the clashes that erupted after US president Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Bethlehemite shop-owners blame Mr Trump not only for siding with Israel at the expense of Palestinian hopes for an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, but also for quashing tourism just as high season is approaching its peak.
"I'm not a politician but he hurt the business and the Middle East," said a woman who gave her name only as Mary. She was working in her husband's souvenir shop, which sells goblets with images of Jerusalem on them. "We have to celebrate. We like to live, not stay sad, even if there are killed and wounded," she added.
But Carol Haymour, a kindergarten teacher, said it was hard to celebrate this year. Asked if she was happy for Christmas, she replied, "Nus wa nus (half and half). You feel the tensions and people are afraid to come to Bethlehem. People from Palestine and outside are afraid to come and bring their kids."
Hanne Saada, 32, a Christian from the northern Israeli city of Acre, decided at the last minute that it was safe enough to visit. However, others had clearly thought differently as the hotel she was staying in had few guests, she said.
"There are a few tourists from Italy. It seems that many people cancelled.Trump's shocking everyone detracts from the joy of Palestinians. " Still, she added, "It is amazing to find yourself in such a sacred place. It is very moving. We hope for all the best in the world."
"We can't say it's been hurt badly, but it's been relatively affected," said Samir Hazboun, chairman of the Bethlehem chamber of commerce. Mr Hazboun said most people who visit on Christmas are pilgrims and not easily swayed into cancelling like ordinary tourists. But he voiced concern about January. "For sure there are partial cancellations for January but if they will be big or medium we do not know. Everything went normally today and maybe that will help change the image for good."
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Read more:
Christmas in Bethlehem: Trump's Jerusalem move looms large
O come, all ye faithful ... Banksy in Bethlehem, 10 years on
Why there are few Christians left in the holy town of Bethlehem
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Jeries Qumsiyeh, a Palestinian Authority tourism official, said that occupancy was full except for two hotels near Rachel's Tomb area, the flashpoint of the clashes. Several tourists interviewed by The National said their hotels were not full.
At the Jacir Palace Hotel, near Rachel's Tomb, occupancy was 35 per cent compared to a hundred per cent last year. The hotel had to close for five days because of the clashes and reopened a week ago. "Enough tear gas was fired around here to affect the entire country," said a staff member who asked for anonymity. "The soldiers also sprayed the hotel with a stinking chemical spray that smells like sewage. We had guests in the hotel when they sprayed it."
"Why the hotel? None of our staff threw stones. This is misery," he said
American tourist Greg Snyder said he and his friends were glad they decided to come rather than cancel. "We feel very welcomed so far. People joke with us about Trump and ask us if we are Trump supporters or tell us 'we don't like Trump'.
"With precautions, it's safe to walk around. We're trying to be aware. We keep our eyes open," he said.
Race%20card
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
More on Quran memorisation:
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
Correspondents
By Tim Murphy
(Grove Press)
PROVISIONAL FIXTURE LIST
Premier League
Wednesday, June 17 (Kick-offs uae times) Aston Villa v Sheffield United 9pm; Manchester City v Arsenal 11pm
Friday, June 19 Norwich v Southampton 9pm; Tottenham v Manchester United 11pm
Saturday, June 20 Watford v Leicester 3.30pm; Brighton v Arsenal 6pm; West Ham v Wolves 8.30pm; Bournemouth v Crystal Palace 10.45pm
Sunday, June 21 Newcastle v Sheffield United 2pm; Aston Villa v Chelsea 7.30pm; Everton v Liverpool 10pm
Monday, June 22 Manchester City v Burnley 11pm (Sky)
Tuesday, June 23 Southampton v Arsenal 9pm; Tottenham v West Ham 11.15pm
Wednesday, June 24 Manchester United v Sheffield United 9pm; Newcastle v Aston Villa 9pm; Norwich v Everton 9pm; Liverpool v Crystal Palace 11.15pm
Thursday, June 25 Burnley v Watford 9pm; Leicester v Brighton 9pm; Chelsea v Manchester City 11.15pm; Wolves v Bournemouth 11.15pm
Sunday June 28 Aston Villa vs Wolves 3pm; Watford vs Southampton 7.30pm
Monday June 29 Crystal Palace vs Burnley 11pm
Tuesday June 30 Brighton vs Manchester United 9pm; Sheffield United vs Tottenham 11.15pm
Wednesday July 1 Bournemouth vs Newcastle 9pm; Everton vs Leicester 9pm; West Ham vs Chelsea 11.15pm
Thursday July 2 Arsenal vs Norwich 9pm; Manchester City vs Liverpool 11.15pm
