In thy dark streets: Rebecca Hardy on Bethlehem at Christmas 2025

‘A time for peace, solidarity and compassion for those who continue to suffer.’

by Rebecca Hardy 19th December 2025

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light;
The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight.

As carollers sing this hymn this Christmas, they won’t all be thinking of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, as it stands today. But for many Friends, the town’s fragility will be close to their minds. Bethlehem, of course, is located in Palestine’s West Bank, just a few minutes south of Jerusalem.