Christmas returns to Holy Land cities as Bethlehem’s Christian population dwindles, Nazareth remains strong

Christmas celebrations returned this year to both Bethlehem and Nazareth, but the season is unfolding very differently in the two cities that sit at the heart of Christianity — Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, and Nazareth, where he lived.

In Nazareth, festivities are broad and confident, rooted in a growing Christian presence in Israel. In Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, celebrations took place again after more than two years of disruption, but against the backdrop of a long-term...