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Hamas walks back 'Christmas ban' in Gaza after uproar

A memo leaked from the Hamas-run Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs in the Gaza Strip taken as a ban on Christmas and New Year festivities outraged Christian and Muslim Palestinians alike.
Nabil el-Salfiti looks on as his wife Faten (R) places the star on top of a Christmas tree at their home in Gaza City on December 22, 2019. - A few hundred Gazan Christians have traditionally been granted permits to attend Christmas festivities in Bethlehem and Jerusalem each year. This year Israel initially didn't announce any permits, prompting criticism among church groups and media. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — In an internal circular, the Hamas-led Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in Gaza laid out steps Hamas was taking to “limit interaction” with Christmas and New Year’s festivities. The document dated Dec. 15 contained various steps to prevent or discourage Muslim Gazans from involvement in the traditional festivities, calling for fatwas and outreach activities to inform Gazans that Christmas celebrations are for Christians and not Muslims. Many Gaza residents took it as a ban on Christmas celebrations and called on the ministry to reverse its action immediately.

The Palestinian Authority, some national factions and civil society activists issued statements condemning the news. Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein al-Sheikh tweeted Dec. 19, “The decision to ban Christmas festivities in the Gaza Strip is unjust and does not reflect the religious, national and social ethics of our people. It propagates radicalist and unjust thought and strikes at the foundations of our people’s unity, respect for beliefs and religions and the freedom of opinion and belief.”

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