They began by going after the Jews. Now they continue by kicking the Christians in the teeth.
If ever there was a sign of forced participation or unilateral thought and allegiance, simply look at this latest action enacted by Palestinian authorities.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the city of Bethlehem has announced they are removing all decorations commemorating the birth of Christ.
“Bethlehem Municipality crews announced the dismantling of Christmas decorations installed several years ago in the city’s neighborhoods and removing all festive appearances,” officials wrote in a post on Facebook.
Their reason? To “honor the martyrs and [show] solidarity with our people in Gaza.”
The Palestinian people are angry, upset, and sad due to the “massacre of their people” in Gaza. This is how they see it and put it.
Did anyone remind them that Hamas began this war? Had Hamas not suddenly attacked Gaza and slaughtered, tortured, raped and kidnapped Israeli men, women and children Oct. 7, none of this would have occurred.
In the sorry perspective of the Palestinian officials, no one deserves to celebrate the season now, not in all its glory, anyway. According to WORLD, the city is dismantling its Nativity scene and will no longer put up the 50-foot tree it usually decorates.
This will have a huge, devastating impact on the town of 25,000, which brings in much of its annual income from tourists who journey to the birthplace of Jesus Christ this time of year.
This move shines a spotlight on where Palestinians’ total concern and allegiance lies: with Hamas.
With this decision, the ruling Palestinian Authority is stomping on a significant expression of hope and peace for Christians around the world.
They are casting more fire onto the world, adding to the fire that Hamas started in Gaza on Oct. 7.
The decision lends credence to the reason Israel isn’t listening to calls from outside sources and countries to stop the war. It isn’t that they aren’t interested in peace. They just know that “stopping the war” won’t achieve that.
For Hamas and many Palestinian supporters, peace will only come when the Jewish people no longer exist and Gaza is fully owned and occupied by them. They are speaking through action.
Now those actions have come to roost on Christians’ doorsteps, so to speak. The town of Bethlehem has done the unthinkable, and has taken an aggressive stance against Christianity.
They’ve now forced every Christian’s hand in some way. It will escalate the temperature and unraveling around this war. It will also quicken the pace into a much faster one.
This is exactly what the Palestinian Authority and Hamas want, I believe. You can’t just view this move as merely “showing empathy and support.” It is meant to provoke and get everyone involved.
The Jews, the Muslims and now the Christians are all in the ring. World tension is reaching a concerning level, whether it be over religions, ethnicities, states and more.
Suffice to say, world leaders had better wake up and take this seriously. Otherwise, we may suddenly find ourselves in a situaton where there is no turning back. We need cool heads to come together and prevail before that happens.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
