That “little town of Bethlehem” is again lying still, now because tourists no longer flock there at Christmastime. For the second year in a row, there is no Christmas tree in Manger Square, and the Church of the Nativity is relatively deserted. This Israeli-occupied West Bank city just south of Jerusalem is not such a little town, about 200,000, but getting smaller as war-weary Palestinians and Christians flee violence that has intensified due to the war in Gaza. Bethlehem could use another miracle worthy of an angel choir. The world is listening for it. A fragile peace has broken out in Damascus, Syria, just 140 miles away, and threatens to spread. Israel and Hezbollah have silenced their guns in Lebanon. There is growing optimism for a deal this month that would bring a ceasefire in Gaza and release of some hostages. The saying is getting traction: “There are decades when nothing happens, and weeks when decades happen.” This, after all, is the season of hope for peace on earth. – Fletcher Farrar, editor
This article appears in Springfield Clinic disrupts area health care industry.
