A law that criminalizes France’s colonization was unanimously approved by the country’s parliament. In the chamber, lawmakers chanted their support for reparations, an apology, and the release of France’s legal liability for the harms caused by colonial rule.
Published On 25 Dec 2025
As Bethlehem’s scout troupes marched through West Bank – Manger Square in their flawless uniforms, the narrow alleyways that surround it echoed the sounds of drums and brass.
They sang Christmas carols and played traditional Palestinian music, combining a celebration of Christmas with their own national identity.
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Amid Wednesday’s celebrations, held on Christmas Eve, there was a certain poignancy – this is the first time in two years that such festive scenes have returned to the city, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who is the highest-ranking Catholic official in Palestine and the surrounding area, was one of those present for the celebrations.
From where I send the Christmas message to Bethlehem, Pizzaballa said, “I have noticed the presence of light here in Bethlehem.” “And this is not just the light of the sun, but the light of your beautiful faces”.
He continued, “We made the decision to be light, and Bethlehem is the world’s light.” We bring you heart, prayers, and peace today.
The suspension of Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem in 2023 and 2024 was in solidarity with fellow Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 70, 000 in its genocidal war. In addition, Israel has increased the ferocity of its raids on Bethlehem and the West Bank, where more than 1, 000 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis in the last two years.
Palestinian Christians have been spared by Israeli military and settlers, with three fatalities in July and three fatalities in a West Bank town that is primarily a Christian town.
A ceasefire in Gaza that began in October has brought some respite, even as Israel continues its violations and attacks on the Strip, killing hundreds of people. In the West Bank, Israeli forces continued conducting military operations.
The reality of the war was present even as the festive atmosphere in Manger Square drew attention. Israeli military raids and checkpoints continued, with Israeli forces arresting three young men from the nearby refugee camps of Dheisheh and Aida just hours before the celebrations began.
Pizzaballa, who just left Gaza, made no delay in mentioning the suffering of Palestinians.
He claimed, “I witnessed total destruction in Gaza.” “But amid Gaza’s destruction, I felt a passion for life. People created reasons for joy and celebration in the middle of nothingness. They made it clear that despite human destruction, we can rebuild and go back.
“We will be able to celebrate in Gaza and Bethlehem”, Pizzaballa continued. “We will come back to start over.”
Despite the fact that the number of Palestinian Christians living in the West Bank declines as a result of the Israeli occupation, among other things, about 1,500 people, including both Palestinians and foreign visitors, attended the Christmas celebrations, which have grown to be one of the region’s most important symbols of Christian life.
One of the Palestinian Christians who made the journey to Bethlehem was George Zalloum, who was from occupied East Jerusalem.
He told Al Jazeera that he was enjoying the atmosphere, but that it was tinged with sorrow.
We have brothers who are still dying in Gaza as a result of the ongoing bombardment and killing there, Zalloum told Al Jazeera, “because today’s atmosphere is half joy and half sadness.” We anticipate that these holidays will continue, that the war will end, that the killing will stop, that peace will prevail in the Holy Land, and that peace prevails.
Other Palestinians travelled to Bethlehem from cities and villages across the West Bank, but their journeys highlighted the difficulties placed on them by Israel.
Even though the physical distance between their homes and Bethlehem was short, many people waited for hours at the checkpoints nearby.
Hussam Zraiqat, who traveled to Manger Square from Birzeit, near Ramallah, said, “It is true that the atmosphere of joy, love, and peace has returned to us, but the road to Bethlehem was challenging. “We spent a long time at an Israeli military checkpoint, but thank God, we arrived”.
Another Palestinian participant, Ghassan Rizqallah, from the nearby village of Jifna, also close to Ramallah, echoed that sentiment.
Before entering the city, we had to wait at least an hour and a half outside the military checkpoint, according to Rizqallah. “The journey was very difficult”.
Rizqallah was overjoyed to experience the holiday spirit once he arrived, though. We are transported back to the beautiful past of our nation, our land, and our heritage by watching the scout bands and hearing the music; we are also deserving of safety and peace.
The Manger Square celebrations had a meaning beyond Bethlehem, according to Maher Canawati, the city’s mayor.
“Bethlehem’s message today is one of steadfastness and hope for the people of the city, for Gaza, and for all of Palestine”, Canawati told Al Jazeera. We tell the Palestinian people that they are the legitimate owners of their land and roots, and that they are in favor of life and peace throughout the world.
After a protracted decline in tourism, Canawati pointed to the city’s Church of the Nativity, a significant site of Christian pilgrimage.
“All the Bethlehem hotels are reopening their doors to receive local and foreign visitors after nearly two years of almost complete shutdown”, Canawati said. The “wheel of tourism has started turning once more,” according to God willing.
Bethlehem’s economy, which is heavily reliant on tourism, has suffered a severe blow. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism, hotel occupancy rates since the beginning of the year stood at only 25 percent.
The Palestinian Hotel Association’s head, Elias al-Arja, claimed that Bethlehem’s hotels lost $300 million this year. However, the renewal of the Christmas celebrations has been a huge boon.
According to al-Arja, “Hotel occupancy rates have increased by 80% over the past two days, with about 8, 000 visitors coming from different countries in Europe and the United States, including 2, 000 of Palestinian nationals from Europe and the United States,” al-Arja reported.
Some of those visitors opted to watch Manger Square’s Christmas celebrations.
“It is good to see these celebrations returning”, said Dwayne Jefferson, who travelled from the US state of North Carolina. It is a positive experience that opens the door to a chance for the entire area to resume normal life. I’m very happy to be here.
Jean Charles, a tourist from Italy, said that it was his first visit to Bethlehem, and that he was happy to see so much joy after two years of war.
“It is a celebration for every Palestinian, not just Christians,” Charles said. “I see Muslims here as well, which is very significant and fascinating for this people’s future.”
“Unfortunately, I noticed the low number of tourists … But honestly, the situation is very calm. Everyone says, “Welcome to Palestine!” A very beautiful Christmas and a very beautiful day are at hand.
The day brought cautious optimism for Manger Square-area businesses. George Ejha, the owner of St Georges Restaurant, said: “Today’s activity was good and relied mainly on Palestinians from inside Israel, but it is not good enough compared to the period before the war”.
When the war broke out, I completely stopped working, and I only just reopened the restaurant two weeks ago. He claimed that the losses he suffered are uncountable. “We hope there will be more activity at the beginning of the year”.
Jack Jaqman, the owner of a souvenir shop, followed suit. According to Jaqman, “the activity we saw today is not sufficient… [primarily] foreign workers from the Philippines, India, and Romania, or our own people living in Israel],” those who went to Bethlehem, said. “Still, it is important in showing the city’s reality and its readiness to receive pilgrims and tourists again”.
Published On 25 Dec 2025
According to an unnamed US official, a Reuters news agency report citing an unnamed US official stated that the US will concentrate on pursuing sanctioned Venezuelan oil over the next two months rather than military pressure.
Even as the US continues to put pressure on the region, the White House has ordered the military to concentrate “almost exclusively on enforcing a ‘quarantine’ of Venezuelan oil,” according to the Reuters report.
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The official told Reuters on Wednesday that while there are still military options, the focus should be on using economic pressure and imposing sanctions to achieve the desired result.
According to Reuters, US President Donald Trump has deployed 15, 000 troops, aircraft carriers, guided missile destroyers, and amphibious assault ships in the Caribbean over the past month.
The expansion is the largest US military deployment in the Caribbean in a long time, and it has sparked concerns that Trump might invade Venezuela under the pretense of defending the country from “narcoterrorists” and international drug cartels.
Trump mandated a “total and complete blockade” of all oil tankers that were subject to US law entering and leaving Venezuela in mid-December. According to Reuters, US forces are currently looking into a third vessel and have already apprehended two oil tankers.
Venezuela is on a lifeline because of the various US sanctions in place in Caracas since 2005. During Trump’s first term in office, sanctions on the energy sector increased significantly.
Despite the ongoing tensions, some media reports suggest that the US Coast Guard’s enforcement actions could lead to a de-escalation rather than the military.
In peacetime, the Coast Guard is regarded as a branch of US law enforcement and is a civilian organization. Under US sanctions, its agents have the right to board ships. By contrast, staging a naval blockade of Venezuela would be viewed as a war deed.
In a statement to the UN Security Council, Venezuela declared this week that the oil seizures were “worse than piracy.”
Different boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, which the White House claims were bringing illegal drugs to the US, have been targeted by US forces since September.
At least 105 people have died in what the White House has described as a “non-international armed conflict” because the strikes were ordered by Trump and not by the US Congress.
Published On 25 Dec 2025
After almost 17 years in exile, Tarique Rahman, the heir to Bangladesh’s long-standing family and opposition leader, has returned to the country, according to his party.
Rahman, 60, a former Bangladeshi prime minister who has emigrated to London after fleeing the country in 2008 because of what he called politically motivated persecution, arrived on Thursday.
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He is expected to succeed his ailing mother, 80-year-old former prime minister Khaleda Zia, as acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
As senior BNP leaders welcomed Rahman at the airport under heavy security, hundreds of thousands of supporters scurried from the capital’s airport to the reception venue, waving party flags and carrying placards, banners, and flowers along the way.
Rahman waved to the crowd while wearing a light grey, finely chequered blazer over a crisp white shirt.
For what it called an “unprecedented” mobilization, the BNP had previously stated that it wanted to gather up to five million supporters in the capital to welcome Rahman.
In the general election in February, Rahman is widely regarded as the front-runner for prime ministerial office.
After Sheikh Hasina’s longtime leader was ousted in 2024, his arrival coincides with the BNP’s revival.
Rahman was unable to return to Bangladesh because of his domestic violence struggles.
He was found guilty in absentia on charges including money laundering and a case involving an alleged plot to assassinate Hasina, but the decisions were overturned after his ouster last year in a student-led uprising, removing the legal obstacles to his return.
Khaleda Zia has been seriously ill for months, so his return also comes with a sense of urgency. Before visiting his mother, Rahman would travel from the airport to a reception area, according to party officials.
Since Hasina’s ouster from power, which marked the end of decades of her and Khaleda Zia’s largely alternate office, has changed dramatically.
According to a survey conducted by the American-based International Republican Institute in December, the BNP is expected to take the most parliamentary seats, along with the Jamaat-e-Islami party.
Some people fear unrest could disrupt the election, according to Hasina’s Awami League, which has been barred from the election.
For the first time since Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza started in 2023, Palestinian Christians have gathered at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity to celebrate Christmas.
After a long period of silence and darkness, Bethlehem’s mayor claims the city has chosen to resume its festivities.
Safaa Thalgieh, a mother from Bethlehem, told Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, “We can only pray that things get better. Our joy doesn’t mean people aren’t suffering, have lost their loved ones, or are desperate.”
One of the oldest Christian denominations in the world is made up of Palestinian Christians.
Mary and Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born and enshrined. This location served as the site of the Church of the Nativity, and its grotto is of significant religious significance, drawing Christians from all over the world to Bethlehem every Christmas.
However, as shown on the map below, the separation wall, illegal settlements, and several checkpoints in Israel would make the trip very different today.
The number of Christians who once lived in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza is now less than 50 000, according to the 2017 census, accounting for about 1% of the population.
About 12% of the population were Christians at the beginning of the 20th century. However, Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank has strained communities, led to economic hardships, and deprived them of the conditions required for living on their land, leading to more families pursuing a more stable life abroad.
Between 47, 000 and 50, 000 Palestinian Christians reside in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with an additional 1, 000 previously living in Gaza.
Three of the West Bank’s three main urban areas are where the Christian population is most concentrated:
Palestinian Christians are subject to Israeli military rule, settler violence, and a discriminatory legal system, just like the rest of the Palestinian population.
Christian communities and their churches have been the targets of numerous attacks by Israeli forces and members of the Israeli public throughout Palestine.
Through a volunteer-run incident hotline, the Religious Freedom Data Center (RFDC) has been monitoring violent against Christians.
The group documented at least 201 incidents of violence against Christians between January 2024 and September 2025, primarily committed by Orthodox Jews against international clergy or individuals who display Christian symbols.
These incidents range from verbal abuse, assaults, spitting to assaults, and more.
The Old City in occupied East Jerusalem, home to 137 of these incidents, was where they occurred the most.
Jerusalem, which includes many holy sites, is of profound significance to people of all faiths, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised again, is one of the most notable for Christians.
In the occupied West Bank, there was an alarming rise in targeted violence and land seizures in 2025.
In the predominantly Christian town of Beit Sahour, east of Bethlehem, Israeli settlers supported by the military bulldozed the site of the famous Ush al-Ghurab hilltop in November to build a new illegal settlement outpost.
In Taybeh, a town with a majority of Christians in the West Bank, arsonists targeted the historic St. George Church in July.
During a raid on the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of East Jerusalem, which has been repeatedly attacked, a group of Israelis were filmed attacking the Armenian Monastery and Christian holy sites in June.
Israeli forces have attacked a number of places of worship in Gaza, including churches.
Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war, according to an Open Doors report from early 2025, roughly 75% of Christian-owned homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.
At least 18 displaced people, including children who were looking for shelter in the church, were killed when Israeli forces attacked Saint Porphyrius, Gaza’s oldest Greek Orthodox Church, on October 19, 2023.
The church, which was the country’s oldest active place of worship since 1150, had provided hundreds of civilians with a multi-faith sanctuary.
A father who is grieving for his three children’s deaths in the explosion told Al Jazeera. We sought refuge in a church because we believed it was our last safe haven. He referred to it as “the house of God.” They “bombed and killed my angels without warning” they said.
The only Roman Catholic church in Gaza, the Holy Family Church, has long been a refuge for the local Christian community.
A school inside the complex was partially destroyed by an air attack on November 4, 2023, which occurred inside the church compound. An Israeli tank shell struck the church in July 2025, killing three people and injuring several others.
Published On 25 Dec 2025
Russians are viewing 2026 with “growing optimism,” according to VTsIOM, Russia’s top public opinion research center, which released a statement on Wednesday.
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In other words, Russians are more likely to accept (or believe) hope as the outlook for the upcoming year traditionally appears much more optimistic. Future improvements are expected this year, but they still proceed cautiously, the organization said in a review of the survey findings, which were made public online.
According to VTsIOM deputy head Mikhail Mamonov, 70 percent of the 1,600 people surveyed thought that 2026 would be a more “successful” year for Russia than this year, with 55 percent of those predicting a better year and the potential resolution of what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Mamonov stated at the presentation that the main reason for optimism is the possibility of the special military operation being completed and the achievement of the stated goals in line with the president’s stated national interests.
Mamonov cited the Russian military’s ongoing offensive in Ukraine, Washington’s unwillingness to finance the Ukrainian conflict, and the EU’s inability to fully replace the US role in Ukraine as key factors in the development of a resolution.
Priorities will be placed first, according to Mamonov, including the reintegration of Russian military veterans into society and the reconstruction of Ukrainian regions under Russian control as well as the border regions.
According to independent pollster Levada, roughly two-thirds of Russians support peace talks, which is the highest number since the start of the war in 2022, despite the strict state-imposed media restrictions on the media, expressions of public dissent, and the prosecution of those who criticize Moscow’s war against its neighbor.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that he would withdraw troops from Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a strategy to put an end to the conflict if Moscow agreed by reversing its forces and allowing the region to become a demilitarized zone under international surveillance.
Zelenskyy also mentioned that a similar arrangement might be possible for the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian control, in comments to reporters about an overarching 20-point plan that negotiators from Ukraine and the US had hammered out in Florida in recent days.
Russia has repeatedly urged Kyiv to give up the land it still holds in the Donbass industrial area before discussions on putting an end to the fighting. It has given no indication that it will do so.
The two Donbass regions, which are largely made up of Luhansk and Donetsk, are now largely under Russian control.
Zelenskyy added that the most difficult part of the plan was to determine where the Donbass will eventually be controlled, and that setting up a demilitarized economic zone in the area would require laborious discussions regarding where international forces would be stationed and how far troops would be needed to retreat.