"Israel" clamps down on Christians, ignores 350 permits to Beit Lehm
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About 350 Christians from Gaza had their permits to cross besieged Gaza to Beit Lehm ignored, while 80 were flatly rejected.
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A Christmas card by Banksy -- "Israel's" Separation Barrier blocks out the holy family, Joseph and Mary.
Contrary to popular belief, Israeli oppression is not solely a war on Muslims as is promulgated by media outlets, but also a war on Christians and their right to celebrate their holiest day of the year.
This year on Christmas, 350 Gazan Christians applied for permits to celebrate Christmas in the holy cities of occupied Al-Quds and occupied Beit Lehm, yet did not receive any response. In parallel, 80 had their permits flatly rejected by Israeli authorities - for no reason - according to the director of Public Relations at the Orthodox Church in Palestine, Kamel Ayyad.
The 470 Gazans who were granted permits departed the Gaza Strip on Thursday and will be able to return on January 19, 2022.
Last year, Gazans were largely unable to reach Beit Lehm, the birthplace of Christ, due to Coronavirus restrictions and Israeli oppression.
Christmas is no different from any other day of the year in occupied #Palestine.#Christmas #SantaClaus pic.twitter.com/RtFjO6voKr
— Laila Palestinian girl (@LailaPalestini1) December 25, 2020
On the other hand, this year, although the virus receded slightly, almost half of the permit requests were either ignored or rejected, obstructing many Christian families from enjoying Christmas celebrations.
Yesterday, Al Mayadeen's reporter said that "Palestinians performed prayers Friday near the Church of Nativity in Beit Lahm," while the director of Al Mayadeen's office in occupied Palestine confirmed that the occupation did not allow all Gaza's Christians to participate in the celebration in Beit Lahm.
Similar to what happened in 2020, the midnight mass this year was restricted to a small circle of worshippers, who can attend it exclusively by invitation.
