Bethlehem/PNN/ Monjed Jadou 

In order to spread joy and happiness to Palestinian citizens in general and children in Palestine in particular, as well as to emphasize the message of our people's love of living in peace and freedom, the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs launched the Christmas parade activities for this year from Bethlehem and will tour the Palestinian cities.

Dr. Ramzi Khoury, Chairman of the Presidential Committee for Church Affairs told PNN that this parade is a Palestinian message to the world saying:" this is the Palestinian people, a people who want life and peace. Our message to you is that the Palestinian people love life and peace and love the birth of Christ because it means the light that gave the peoples of the world freedom and peace, and we as Palestinians miss this light because of the occupation".

He affirmed that our people will not surrender in front of Israel's plans and goals, which aim primarily at destroying the Palestinian presence in general in Jerusalem and the Christian one in particular, Dr.Khoury said that lighting the Christmas tree activities in Jerusalem and the huge march that started from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem to the Hebron Gate in order to confirm the identity of our people and our city.

Dr. Khoury said that despite the pain for the martyrs, the prisoners, the wounded, and the homes that are destroyed, we will continue to work for hope and a better future.

local Palestinian officials in Bethlehem explained that the parade intended to bring joy to the hearts of our people,they clarified also thay this parade is a recreation of the historical parads that came to celebrate the birth of Christ. 

Dr. Samir Hazboun, Chairman of the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce and Industry told PNN that Christmas is a feast of joy, and this great joy of Christ birth  is a joy that continues and will continue on our Palestinian land, pointing out that this parade is an imitation of the historical parads when Christ was born, as the paradss came to celebrate his birth and bring joy and happiness, and therefore this parad is to introduce joy in Bethlehem.

Hazboun stressed that the city of Jerusalem is the twin of Bethlehem, and we hoped that it would enter Jerusalem, but the occupation measures, represented by barriers and obstacles by Israel, prevent the entry of this parade, but the Palestinian Christian and Islamic presence is rooted in Jerusalem, and the lighting of the Christmas tree in Jerusalem and the large presence there is evidence that Israel and its measures It did not and will not succeed in preventing our people from celebrating in their city and capital.

The Christmasparade's organizer, Media Plus Company director Juliana Hodley told PNN that the parad message is to spraed peace and love adding that the parad every yaer in continuous development, as the number of vehicles became ten, and this year the number of children exhibitors increased to thirty exhibitors out of 90 exhibitors participating in the activities of parads.

For there part Palestinians and their children expressed their happenas, as they had an atmosphere of joy and gladness and they thanks the organisers for the lovely events that brought joy to everyone in the cities the parade visited.

Palestinians that PNN talked to during the parade said that the atmosphere there experience during the parad's journey was beautiful, and they adding that there is nothing more beautiful than an atmosphere of joy for children, expressing hope that the coming year will be better and that peace will prevail over all of us as Palestinians.