Unidentified gunmen shot several times into the upper floors of The Bethlehem Hotel on Monday after a guest filmed paper cutouts of a menorah and a Star of David on display in the hotel's conference room.
The six-pointed star and the seven-branched menorah both serve as symbols of the Jewish people and of Israel.
No one was injured in the attack.
The hotel owner told Palestinian media that he was not responsible for placing Jewish symbols in his hotel. He said a group of visiting Christians arranged them.
"We don't allow Jews to come here," said the owner, Elias al-Arja, on the Mawwal radio channel. "We never held parties for Jewish holidays. The event was organized by a church from the Philippines."
"I was surprised to see that they installed the Star of David. I removed it and told them that they are not permitted to hold the conference in my hotel. I don't want any problems," he said.
Palestinian Authority security forces cordoned off the area and the P.A.'s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said it would launch an investigation into the matter.
The hotel owner accused those who leaked the photos of the conference hall as wanting to "destroy" the city. On social media, some users even claimed that The Bethlehem Hotel had planned to host a group of Jews for Sukkot – the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles, which began Sunday evening.
The posts accused both the hotel and the P.A. of "promoting normalization" with Israel.
A group of masked men from Fatah, the ruling Palestinian political faction in Bethlehem, also arrived at the hotel to announce that they are completely against any attempt to host Jews in the city's hotels.
One member of the group told reporters that Fatah strongly condemns any form of normalization with Israel.
"We won't allow anyone to hold any suspicious party," he said. "We will strike with an iron fist against anyone who holds a normalization meeting, whether in Bethlehem or any other part of the homeland. The revolution will continue until the liberation of all the Palestinian lands."
A statement issued by the Fatah leadership in Bethlehem said that hosting a "Zionist party" in a local hotel was a "stab to Bethlehem and a betrayal of the traditions and values of the Holy Land."
This article originally appeared on ALL ARAB NEWS and is reposted with permission.