Christians Gathered in Manager Square, Bethlehem.

His Eminence, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, spoke to the faithful. Saying the following: "You are the light, we are the light. The light of Bethlehem and the light of the world". He walked the streets, followed by Christians of every stripe, both Palestinians and foreign tourists.

For the first time in two years of war, Christians gathered to mourn those who had perished in the war. Many Christians worldwide, and Palestinian Christians in the West Bank, will see this as a miracle. That God, despite everything, has allowed them to gather and celebrate the Saviour of the world. There has been a ceasefire since October 10; however, Hamas has not disarmed and remains undefeated. Israel has continued bombing parts of Gaza, killing and injuring Gazans. Trump is talking about the next phase of his peace plan, where, all being well, a stabilisation force will come in and police the situation in Gaza. Trump, in his press conference with Netanyahu, mentioned the possibility of Turkey being involved in that force. This will be a bitter pill for Netanyahu to swallow as he is already worried about what Turkey is up to in Syria.

In Manger Square, an exhibition of the Nativity Scene is there for all to see. Along with the annual Christmas Tree that goes up despite Israel's activities in the area. The Latin Patriarch said, "From here the light of peace began". At the Elias Monastery in Jerusalem, the Patriarch told a Sky News reporter that, "This is a sign we want to turn the page to look forward. The problem on the ground remains there, but we need to react and respond to this situation and to look forward to find a perspective and a solution for the terrible situation" (in Gaza).

The Patriarch had recently returned from celebrating Christmas in Gaza at the Holy Family Parish in Gaza. 400 hundred Palestinian Christians have been sheltering in this church before and after the so-called ceasefire. The Patriarch or Cardinal said, "It was very sad to see the population suffering. I was struck by the resilience and their desire for life. They are strong and determined to rebuild everything".

Phase one of Trump's plan seems to be sticking despite Hamas not disarming and still having some control in the ruins of Gaza. And despite as mentioned earlier, Israel carrying out attacks, which in legal terms must surely be to anyone of sound mind, breaking the terms of Trump's 20-point peace plan. Trump is not even-handed in this enterprise. He is telling Hamas to disarm or face "hell". This is an oft-repeated mantra of Trump, which as yet hasn't materialised. What more could the US do to Gaza, which hasn't already been done by the IDF?

Israel is supposed to by the rules of the 20-point peace plan withdraw from Gaza. But some worry Israel will stay in the part of Gaza it occupies not only as a buffer zone, but will start settling that area. As is the dream of right-wingers like Ben Gvir and Smotrich. There are even legitimate fears that the incoming stabilisation force (if and when this happens) may just police the area of Gaza that Israel currently occupies.

Many Christians from Palestine, eg the West Bank and Gaza, have left these areas in droves. Once upon a time, before Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, there were 3 - 4,000 Christians. Before the war, there were 1,000 Christians. Now, after the conflict between Israel and Hamas, this has dropped to 400 - 600 Christians.

In the West Bank in the mid-20th Century, Christians formed a large minority in places like Ramallah. As instability became more apparent, many Christians left. In 2017, the Christian population was between 45 - 50,000. Recent reporting still reports the Christian population to be around those numbers.

Despite everything that is happening in that area of the world, Christians or followers of the Way are still holding out, as was proved by this year's Nativity celebrations in places like Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

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