Tomorrow, December 19, the Muslim world will celebrate the Eid Al Adha feast, the most significant Muslim holiday on the calendar. The day is a commemoration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God, who in turn, sent him a lamb in the boy’s stead. Today, Muslims all over the world sacrifice lambs, cows or sheep in honor of this occasion and distribute the meat to those less fortunate. Less than a week later is Christmas, also a holiday that embraces sacrifice and giving. Jesus Christ was the epitome of sacrifice, surrendering his own life for the sake of all humankind.

This year in Palestine, sacrifice takes on a multitude of meanings. Those able to slaughter a lamb this Eid will certainly do so. But most will not be able, not because they do not want to but because they cannot. Either there is no money to buy a lamb or the strict Israeli closures prevent these holiday commodities from being brought into the territories.

Still, more reminiscent of the original story of Abraham and that of Jesus Christ, this year, hundreds of Palestinians have sacrificed not their sheep but their sons. Since the inception of the Israeli occupation in 1967, sacrifice has been a part of the Palestinians lives in more ways than one. This year is no different. On the eve of the Eid Al Adha feast, ten members of the Islamic Jihad were killed by the Israeli military, nine in the Gaza Strip and one in the West Bank city of Qabatiya.

In the Gaza Strip, three Islamic Jihad activists were killed by an air-to-ground missile in the early morning hours of December 18, just as the men were emerging from a mosque after morning prayers. The night before, Israeli missiles blasted two cars in Gaza City, killing six other activists. An Islamic Jihad commander was also ambushed and killed in the northern West Bank.

So, this morning in Gaza, instead of preparing for what should be a joyous occasion tomorrow, families are opening their homes to mourners, Quaranic verses resounding throughout the streets in honor of the dead.

And even for those who were fortunate enough not to lose a loved one, the economic situation in the occupied territories, the Gaza Strip in particular, is so oppressive it is difficult for anyone to rejoice in the holiday season this year.

According to an Associated Press article republished in the Israeli daily Haaretz, most Gazans will not be slaughtering the customary sheep or cow this Eid Al Adha. According to one Gaza official, there is an annual demand for 50,000 goats and 10,000 cows for slaughter but Israel has only allowed 7,700 cows into the Strip since November with an expected 1,600 more today. No goats were permitted entry.

Getting the goats, cows and lambs into the Strip is just the first hurdle. People being able to afford them is another. Because of the strict border and commerce restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities, particularly following Hamas’ takeover of the Strip last June and the dire economic situation that has struck practically every Gazan family, buying a sheep or cow is just too pricey this year. According the AP article mentioned above, the price of a goat was around NIS1,000 last year. This year, the price has shot up to NIS1,800. “I will pray to God to forgive me because I will not be able to sacrifice this year,” one Gazan man said.

The hardships, however, are not exclusive to Gazan Muslim Palestinians alone. With Christmas just around the corner, Palestinian Christians are also preparing for one more holiday under the oppressive burden of occupation. While Jerusalem and Bethlehem, two of the most holiest cities for Christians have been spared the brunt of the ongoing violence this year, Palestinian Christians still face the unchanging dilemma of not having free access to their holy sites. West Bank Christians are required to apply for an Israeli permit to enter Israel so they can make their pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City. While cumbersome, this possibility is at least plausible. For the approximate 2,000 Christians living in the Gaza Strip, this is virtually impossible. A nearly complete airtight closure has been imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip, barring the 1.5 million people living it its cramped quarters from traveling to the West Bank for work, family visits or in this case, for religious purposes.

The same can be said for Muslims hoping for a glimpse of the Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site. Also located in Jerusalem’s Old City, the majority of Palestinian Muslims living in the West Bank and Gaza are barred from reaching its grounds, Israel citing its hackneyed security excuse as a pretext for their restrictions. While thousands of Palestinian Muslims this year will perform the Hajj [pilgrimage] in Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islam, the overwhelming majority will not be able to pay a similar homage to Al Aqsa.

The killing of the 10 Islamic Jihad activists over a 12-hour period was “justified” by Israel as a response to the Palestinian rockets shot into Israeli territory; the siege around Gaza, a “necessary” measure to ensure that “terrorists and their funds” do not enter the Strip; and the closure and checkpoints around Jerusalem justified as a way to ensure Israeli authority over the holy city.

For Israelis or Jews for that matter, none of these are points of contention. Over the Hanukah holiday last week, Jews from all over the world flocked to Jerusalem to visit the Western Wall and fulfill what they believe are their religious duties in the city. Israel’s policies towards the Jews are what any truly democratic country should espouse. Unfortunately, these policies of religious liberties and unhindered freedom of movement do not extend to all those living in this place of overflowing historical and religious significance, making Israel not only unjust but one of the western world’s biggest hypocrisies.

Joharah Baker is a Writer for the Media and Information Programme at the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH). She can be contacted at mip@miftah.org.