[ti:Bethlehem Leaders Say Christmas Will ‘Not Be Canceled'] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Bethlehem could have an unhappy Christmas. [00:05.24]Just 12 months ago, the Palestinian town was celebrating [00:11.08]its busiest Christmas season in 20 years. [00:15.12]This year, there are few visitors. [00:18.84]Hotels that were adding new areas in 2019 [00:24.12]are now closed because of the coronavirus crisis. [00:29.04]But town leaders say the traditional birthplace of Jesus [00:34.16]will go ahead with its celebrations. [00:38.12]"Bethlehem is going to celebrate Christmas. [00:41.28]And Christmas will not be cancelled," said Mayor Anton Salman. [00:47.44]Workers behind him were putting up a large Christmas tree in Manger Square. [00:53.92]"This Christmas from Bethlehem there will be a message of hope [00:58.76]to the whole world, that the world will recover from this pandemic." [01:04.16]The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, [01:10.32]recently tried to improve spirits, [01:13.56]saying that Christmas preparations had already started. [01:18.32]Father Francesco Patton is the Custodian of the Holy Land. [01:23.92]He launched the seasonal celebrations last weekend. [01:28.60]He led a service in a near-empty Church of the Nativity. [01:33.80]"This Christmas will be less festive than usual [01:37.84]as there will be restrictions, I suppose like any other part of the world," [01:43.76]Pizzaballa said in an interview with a Catholic news service. [01:49.72]"Maybe the civil law will forbid us to celebrate as we want; [01:54.44]the pandemic will impose restrictions, but none will stop us [01:59.80]from expressing the true meaning of Christmas [02:03.12]which is to make an act of love." [02:06.84]Rula Maayah is the Palestinian Authority's tourism minister. [02:13.04]Maayah said this year was especially difficult [02:17.08]because it followed record tourism in 2018 and 2019. [02:23.48]This year, there has been very little foreign tourism. [02:28.80]Fewer Christian Palestinians are coming as pilgrims too. [02:33.96]Tourist guides and local shop owners say the pandemic's effect [02:39.92]on the worldwide economy has also hurt Internet sales. [02:45.40]They usually increase during the holiday season. [02:49.60]Manger Square normally has an active, exciting build-up to Christmas. [02:56.44]But the plaza was almost empty in November. [03:00.76]Many shops were closed, and small stores were selling just a few objects. [03:07.44]On Nativity Street, Michael Canawati's store is usually popular with visitors. [03:15.08]They buy key chains that have images of Jesus [03:19.68]or Nativity scenes made from Palestinian olive wood. [03:24.80]But Canawati has not opened his shop in weeks. [03:29.52]He finds it difficult to pay his employees. [03:33.60]He was also forced to permanently close his second store in Jerusalem. [03:39.88]"We are at a dead end. The shop is full of merchandise," [03:44.92]Canawati told the Reuters news agency. [03:48.52]"The whole world is in the same problem that we are in. [03:52.92]We put some promotions (online) for Christmas... [03:56.84]and still nothing," Canawati said. [04:00.12]Elias al-Arja is head of the Arab Hotel Association. [04:06.32]Al-Arja noted that Bethlehem and the world faced the same problem. [04:13.36]"I have worked in tourism for 30 years. [04:16.64]We have had ups and downs because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, [04:23.12]but never anything like this." [04:26.52]I'm John Russell. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM