Christmas celebrations made a comeback this year to both Bethlehem and Nazareth, yet the way the season is playing out is very different in these two cities that are at the core of Christianity — Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, and Nazareth, where he lived.

In Nazareth, the festivities are extensive and confident, based on a growing Christian presence in Israel. In Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, after more than two years of disruption, but against the backdrop of a long-term demographic decline and deep worry within the local Christian community.

Elias Zarina, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy and a long-time Christian activist, said the long-term figures highlight the concern. Christians constituted 86% of Bethlehem’s population in 1950, Zarina said. By the last Palestinian census in 2017, they accounted for approximately 10%. He added that since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, at least 142 Christian families have left the Bethlehem area.

“They witnessed what happened on Oct. 7 and realized that minorities in this region have no future without real protection,” Zarina said.

In Nazareth, Josh Reinstein, director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and president of the Israel Allies Foundation, described a starkly different reality, which he said reflects.

“Nazareth is a completely different situation,” Reinstein said. “It’s an indigenous Christian community, and it grows every year. It thrives.”

Reinstein pointed to economic and social indicators to make his point, noting that while Christians make up around 2% of Israel’s population, “Christian communities have the highest GDP per capita compared to Jews, Muslims, and Druze,” he said. “They’re respected, they’re protected, and they have the same rights as everyone else.”

Reinstein contrasted that with Bethlehem’s path since the 1990s.

“Since the Oslo accords in the 90s, the Christian community of Bethlehem has been decimated by the Palestinian Authority,” Reinstein told Digital. “Bethlehem was once a city with an overwhelming Christian majority. Today, Christians are around 10% of the population, and they are no longer represented in the municipality. That shows you everything about what has occurred there.”

this year. Crowds gathered in Manger Square, the Christmas tree was lit, and religious ceremonies took place at the Church of the Nativity. Local officials presented the celebrations as a sign of resilience and an attempt to project normalcy after years of war and economic collapse.

Zarina, however, said the Palestinian Authority’s decision to permit Christmas events this year should be considered in context.

“In recent months, the Palestinian Authority has sought to reintroduce itself to international public opinion, particularly to the Christian world, through symbolic festive displays such as the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Bethlehem,” Zarina said in comments provided to Digital. “These efforts are meant to promote the Palestinian Authority as moderate, especially as discussions continue about Gaza’s future. But events on the ground over just a few days have sharply contradicted that image.”

Zarina noted that several incidents targeting Christians took place within a single week before Christmas, including threats against churches and violent assaults linked to land disputes.

“Christians in these areas are subject to a systematic policy manifested through, forced displacement, and the confiscation of property by extremist families driven by rigid Salafi ideology and supported morally and financially by states known for backing extremist movements, foremost among them Turkey and Qatar,” he claimed. “In this context, the Palestinian Authority seems either unable or unwilling to enforce the rule of law and protect the Christian minority.”

Recent incidents in the Palestinian Authority area of control have strengthened those concerns. A church in Jenin was firebombed earlier this week, and a Christmas tree was set on fire outside another church. Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded by warning of “growing hostility toward Christians” under Palestinian Authority governance.

And while Israel has occasionally seen attacks against its by extreme religious-nationalist elements who have been accused of vandalizing religious sites and using verbal assaults against clergy, in his Christmas message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is a nation that takes care of its Christian population.

He stated in part, “Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Christians can practice their faith with full rights and in total freedom. Where Christian pilgrims are welcomed with open arms and are so highly appreciated. Where Christians can proudly celebrate their traditions and openly do so without any fear,” he said, adding, “The persecution of Christians or members of any religion cannot and must not be tolerated.”

Zarina said that Christian residents in nearby Beit Jala and in Nablus avoided visible festivities out of fear of harassment.

Not all Christian leaders in Bethlehem share the same view. Pastor Naim Khoury told Israeli news agency TPS-IL that conditions in Bethlehem itself have improved this year and that, so far, he has not seen attacks related to the holiday. Other activists, however, argue that fear restricts what many Christians are willing to say publicly.

“The Christians are under great pressure and cannot speak freely,” said Shadi Khalloul, founder and CEO of the Israeli Christian Aramaic Association, in comments to TPS-IL. “They are trying to survive quietly.”

The contrast is also shown in official demographic data. According to figures released this week by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics and reported by TPS-IL, approximately 184,200 Christians live in Israel as of Christmas Eve 2025, accounting for about 1.9% of the population. The Christian population grew by 0.7% in 2024, making Israel one of the few countries in the Middle East where the Christian community continues to grow.

Nazareth is at the center of that growth. The city has the largest Arab Christian population in Israel, with roughly 18,900 residents, followed by Haifa and Jerusalem, according to Israeli government data. Most Arab Christians live in Israel’s Northern and Haifa districts, where Christian communities have expanded along with rising education and income levels.

Heather Johnston, founder and CEO of the U.S. Israel Education Association, said the visible contrast this Christmas reflects deeper realities.

“At Christmas, the contrast between Nazareth and Bethlehem tells a bigger story,” Johnston said. “Christians are prospering in Nazareth under Israeli rule, while in Bethlehem, under the Palestinian Authority, the Christian population has been shrinking for years. That difference says a lot about which systems actually protect religious freedom and allow ancient Christian communities to endure.”

This Christmas, lights and hymns filled both cities. For Zarina and others, the question now is whether international attention will fade once the lights go down, or whether it will turn into lasting protection for one of Christianity’s oldest communities.