Each year, the story of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem is recounted as a journey emblematic of perseverance in the face of adversity. Their path, fraught with uncertainty and challenges, mirrors the daily struggles faced by Palestinians in the occupied territories. However, if this narrative were transposed to modern times and set within the context of the occupied Palestinian territories, it would reveal the harsh realities of systemic control, pervasive restrictions, and institutionalized subjugation.

Modern Bethlehem, situated in the West Bank under Israeli occupation since 1967, exemplifies the intersection between historical dispossession and contemporary control. For Palestinians, even their simplest journeys are fraught with uncertainty, delays, and indignities imposed through a labyrinth of checkpoints, barriers, and bureaucratic impediments. These structures transform routine movements into resistance and survival.