Thousands turn out for Christmas parade in Nazareth
Posters declaring ‘Jerusalem capital of Palestine’ remind visitors of political tensions
Several thousand people attended the annual Christmas parade in Nazareth on Saturday, with the festivities going ahead as usual despite political tensions over the decision by the US to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Thousands of Israelis, including local Arab Christians, Muslims and Jews from surrounding communities, descended on Nazareth, the largest Arab city in Israel, for the parade. It was the 35th annual parade, according to a statement by the Christmas March Association which organizes the event.
On a railing near the main stage where a female singer belted out songs, posters had been placed in Arabic and English reading “Jerusalem, capital of Palestine.” The same poster was put on a roundabout entering the city.
They were a reminder that in the days after US President Donald Trump’s decision the Mayor of Nazareth Ali Salam had considered canceling some of the events in the city in protest of the US decision. In the end, the parade went ahead as planned and only a musical performance was canceled on December 17.
The parade was organized in cooperation with the municipality and the police. Streets were blocked throughout the afternoon causing massive traffic jams in and around the city.
The march began at the tomb of the Virgin Mary and continued down Paul VI Street. The mayor, local Christian scout troops, and schools sent delegations.
A statement from the organizers pasted on a local Facebook page and Arabic media noted that the “procession symbolizes the march of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph two thousand years ago from the city of the Annunciation [Nazareth] to the city of the Nativity, Bethlehem.”
Hymns and fireworks were scheduled for after the parade.
Catholic, Anglicans, Maronites and Orthodox Christian groups were represented in the parade. Hundreds of children came dressed as Santa, many of the boys wearing red ties. Some locals adorned their cars with red flags for the holiday.
In and around the city many shops were decorated for Christmas. One sold baskets, complete with Red or Black Label Johnnie Walker, for NIS 350.
A stage was set up at the end of Paul VI Street near the Annunciation Church. The large church was built in 1969 and the street leading to it is named in memory of Pope Paul VI’s trip to the Holy Land in 1964.
For many of those attending the events, the festivities seemed more about a seasonal and cultural event on a Saturday than anything particularly religious. Many of the Israeli Jews who came donned red and white Santa hats and enjoyed shwarma at the local restaurants.
Local youths appeared more interested in the Clasico match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona than they did about the holiday. As the crowds waited for parade to start, the cheers of the soccer fans could be heard above the din.
Red balloons, which were distributed with greetings in Arabic, drifted in the air and a small drone flew overhead.
A smattering of Russian, Arabic and Hebrew could be heard in the crowds.
Christmas in Nazareth seemed to unite a cross-section of the country – at least momentarily. • director-general, before the end of the year. For technical reasons, the withdrawal of a member only takes effect one full year, after the year in which a letter is received by UNESCO.
Shama Hacohen had already spoken with Azoulay, who took up her post in November, and presented her with ideas on how to reform the UN body.
Although Azoulay is UNESCO’s first Jewish director-general, it is thought that like her predecessor, Irina Bokova, she holds little sway over the votes cast by member states.
Still, both the US and Israel indicated they would remain in the organization should it change its anti-Israel bias.
“The Israeli government isn’t slamming the door, but rather invites the organization’s new leadership, together with sane countries, to advance reform and stop fearing the same gang that rules over the organization,” Shama Hacohen said.
For the last three years, Israel has waged a highly public battle against a series of Arab resolutions disavowing Israeli ties to Jerusalem and ignoring Jews’ ties to their holiest site, the Temple Mount.
Although it was able to sway UNESCO from referring to the Temple Mount solely as Al-Haram al-Sharif, and to add a reference to it as a Jewish holy site, it was unable to stop it from disavowing Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem, a resolution that has come before UNESCO repeatedly.
Separately, UNESCO this summer inscribed the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Hebron’s Old City under the “State of Palestine” on its list of world heritage sites in danger.
In 2011, UNESCO became the first UN body to recognize “Palestine” as a full member state. In response, Israel and the US froze their annual funding of the body, and in 2014, both countries lost their voting rights.
Shama Hacohen said he felt Israel has garnered as much support in UNESCO as is possible without serious reform being made to the body.
“There are no more achievements to be gained here,” he said. He added that the new composition of the UNESCO executive board – on which Turkey replaced Germany, a country that was supportive of Israel – will make the future difficult.
“UNESCO, led by the Arab countries and the rest of the depressed, frustrated and dark countries of the world, has held a record number of votes that were filled with incitement and lies against Israel and the Jewish nation, that polluted [the organization’s] noble values with politicization and diplomatic terror that bordered at times on antisemitism,” Shama Hacohen said.