By guest blogger George Zeidan, Co-founder of Right to Movement Palestine, an initiative to illustrate the reality of Palestinian life through sports.

The holiday season is upon us and Christmas is a huge component of Palestinian identity. As a Palestinian Christian, this time of year is a great reminder of our blessings and roles within our communities. 

I cannot begin sharing my memories of celebrating Christmas under occupation without remembering my own family and friends who are not permitted to be with us during this time of year. Life under occupation and a blockade is difficult, but it is more painful during celebrations. Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip are denied permits to visit other family members during the holidays. For the larger Palestinian diaspora, it is even impossible for Palestine refugees in Lebanon or elsewhere to celebrate with their families who have remained in Palestine. 

Over 70% of the population in the Gaza Strip is made up of refugees from other regions of historic Palestine, and there are approximately 479,537 registered Palestine refugees in Lebanon, yet in both places, Palestine refugees live under the poverty line without access to life’s basic needs like food, medicine, and education. 

With the spirit of Christmas, I am honored to be a guest blogger for UNRWA USA and hope that by shedding light on my experiences you will feel compelled to share your blessings with Palestine refugees this holiday season.

Christmas eve 1995

On the eve of Christmas 1995 – Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was scheduled to give a speech at the Church of Nativity and attend the midnight mass. As a six-year-old, I did not understand what was going on, but I knew that whatever it was must have been important. My dad and uncles were talking about that evening for a few days before, and my uncle was very hyped. As I watched them leave to attend the celebrations, I stood by the door curiously waiting for my dad to ask me to join them but did not dare to ask. As I waved back to him on the stairs, he told me to go on the balcony and keep an eye out for the presidential convoy.

Growing up in Palestine and being in Bethlehem over Christmas has always been a special experience. Christians from around Palestine would gather in Bethlehem during the day before Christmas and participate in the annual parade with marching scouts and Santa Clauses all over the town. As a kid,  the lights installed in the streets showed early signs that Christmas was approaching. While taking the bus to school, along with my brother and my mother who commuted that way to her office at the UNRWA headquarters, I would be thrilled with excitement. Soon we were going to be off of school for the holidays.

I vaguely remember when my first cousins came to visit us from Orange County, California, over Christmas and how surprised they were to see the Israeli military in the middle of the city every day. This is how daily life looks like under occupation.

Every year on Christmas day, all of my aunts and my uncles and their families would gather at my grandparents’ house in Jerusalem to eat lunch together and exchange gifts. My grandparents would cook the most amazing Palestinian meal, usually stuffed grape leaves, and everybody would rock their new clothes and be excited to take family photos. 

I remember one of these days vividly from the early 2000s. One of my aunts is married to a Palestinian from the West Bank and her children, my cousins did not attend the family celebration. Everyone was upset and concerned. My cousins were now teenage boys, and they could no longer cross Israeli checkpoints without permission from the Israeli occupation. That was the last year we celebrated together as a family. To this day, my cousins are not allowed in Jerusalem and each of the families celebrates on their own.

fast forward to 2016

In 2016, I took part in organizing a relay run from Nazareth to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. We wanted to show the world what the trip would look like today for Mary and Joseph, Jesus’ parents. The trip will be full of checkpoints, the wall, and illegal settlements. Who knows, Mary and Joseph may not have been allowed to move in between the different areas if they did not have the right identification or permit. 

Israel prevents many Palestinian Christians living in the Gaza Strip from attending Christmas celebrations outside of Gaza. But we are maintaining our traditions. Every year I take part in the parade and meet my family and my friends. Christmas is a hopeful season: we are around the corner of a new start and new opportunities. 

A few years ago I decided to look for Yasser Arafat’s speech. I found it on YouTube, saw the charismatic leader announcing Bethlehem free, calling Jesus Palestinian, and promoting unity and tolerance, he said: ‘The church of Nativity is now free and will always be’. After watching the speech, I couldn’t help but hopefully wonder about the day where Palestinians can also have their freedom.

show your support

Christmas is an integral part of Palestinian identity and in solidarity with Palestine refugees, I invite you to donate to UNRWA USA’s year-end campaign to make life a little brighter for displaced refugees. Your tax-deductible gift in support of Palestine refugees will provide a lifeline and can help in a variety of ways, from refugee orphan support in Gaza, to cash assistance for refugees in Lebanon. Please remember the reason for the season and give by December 31.