Christmas returns to Holy Land cities as Bethlehem’s Christian population dwindles, Nazareth remains strong

Key Highlights

• In Nazareth, festivities are broad and confident, rooted in a growing Christian presence in Israel.
• In Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, celebrations took place again after more than two years of disruption, but against the backdrop of a long-term demographic decline and deep concern within the local Christian community. Elias Zarina, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy and a longtime Christian activist, said the long-term numbers underscore the concern.
• Christians made up 86% of Bethlehem’s population in 1950, Zarina said.
• By the last Palestinian census in 2017, they accounted for roughly 10%.
• He added that since the Oct.