For Rami Asakrie, who is a priest in the church, it has been a completely new experience.
He can only come on one occasion before when it has been as quiet and still as now.
- During the last intifada, there were very few visitors, but it was still not the same as it was during the pandemic.
The border is closed
During the pandemic, the church has either been completely closed or been open much less compared to before.
Bethlehem is dependent on its visitors and for the city it has been a hard blow.
Because even though the church is now open, the border is still closed to tourists.
- We have some domestic tourists, otherwise no visitors at all.
During a Christmas, we can have 1.5 million visitors.
I have never seen the Church of the Nativity so empty, says Rami Asakrie.
Pray and hope for better times
There are many souvenir shops right by the square in Bethlehem.
Several are closed, but Khalil Sobh is still open.
The day before, he sold for just under SEK 135.
- Then I opened at seven in the morning and closed at eight in the evening, he says.
If you are a priest in the Church of the Nativity, there is only one thing to do.
Rami Asakrie prays and hopes for better times.
His wish is that the church can have a Christmas just as it was two years ago.