http://www.smh.com.au/world/thousands-flock-to-bethlehem-for-christmas-20111225-1p99g.html Thousands flock to Bethlehem for Christmas Bethlehem December 25, 2011 - 2:41PM a.. A Palestinian Muslim woman takes pictures in Manger Square, the central plaza next to the Church of the Nativity. Photo: AFP
Tens of thousands of tourists and Christian pilgrims have packed the West Bank town of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations, bringing holiday cheer to the traditional birthplace of Jesus. With turnout at its highest in more than a decade on Saturday, proud Palestinian officials said they were praying the celebrations would bring them closer to their dream of independence. Bethlehem, like the rest of the West Bank, fell onto hard times after the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation broke out in late 2000. As the fighting has subsided in recent years, the tourists have returned in large numbers. Advertisement: Story continues below Click for more photos Christmas around the world, 2011 A Christian pilgrim from Nigeria dressed as Santa Claus visits the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Photo: AFP a.. b.. c.. d.. e.. f.. g.. h.. i.. j.. k.. l.. m.. n.. o.. p.. q.. r.. s.. t.. u.. v.. w.. x.. y.. By late night, the Israeli military, which controls movement in and out of town, said some 100,000 visitors, including foreigners and Arab Christians from Israel, had reached Bethlehem, up from 70,000 the previous year. Thousands of Palestinians from inside West Bank also converged on the town. "It's wonderful to be where Jesus was born," said Irma Goldsmith, 68, of Suffolk, Virginia. "I watch Christmas in Bethlehem each year on TV, but to be here in person is different. To be in the spot where our saviour was born is amazing." After nightfall, a packed Manger Square, along with a 50-foot-tall (15-metre-tall) Christmas tree, was awash in Christmas lights. Festivities were to culminate with Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity, built over the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born. Among the visitors were a surprisingly large number of veiled Muslim women with their families. "We love to share this holiday with our Christian brothers," said Amal Ayash, 46, who came to Manger Square with her three daughters, all of them covered in veils. Israel turned Bethlehem over to Palestinian civil control a few days before Christmas in 1995, and since then, residents have been celebrating the holiday regardless of their religion. Pilgrims from around the world also wandered the streets, singing Christmas carols and visiting churches. John Houston, 58, from Long Beach, California said: "It makes me feel really good to see what I have been learning from the time I was a kid in Sunday school until today." Houston said he was surprised by Bethlehem's appearance, which is a far cry from the pastoral village of biblical times. Today, it is a sprawling town of cement apartment blocs and narrow streets. Located on the southeastern outskirts of Jerusalem, Bethlehem is surrounded on three sides by a barrier Israel built to stop Palestinian militants from attacking last decade. Palestinians say the barrier has damaged their economy by constricting movement in and out of town. Twenty-two per cent of Bethlehem residents are unemployed, the Palestinian Authority says. Most visitors entering Bethlehem, including the top Roman Catholic official in the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, had to cross through an Israeli-controlled checkpoint to reach town. In his homily, he referred to the Arab Spring, imploring Arab leaders to have "wisdom, insight and a spirit of selflessness toward their countrymen" and praying for reconciliation in Syria, Egypt, Iraq and North Africa. He also noted the Palestinian campaign to join the United Nations, and complained that the UN was "less than united" in its support for the now-stalled initiative. He also criticised the international community for pushing the Palestinians to "re-engage in a failed peace process". The patriarch lamented the Israeli barrier enveloping Bethlehem - "let us tear down the walls of our hearts in order to tear down the walls of concrete" - and prayed for peace for both Palestinians and Israelis. With peace talks at a standstill, the Palestinians are seeking membership as a state in the United Nations and recently gained admission to UNESCO, the UN cultural agency. "We are celebrating this Christmas hoping that in the near future we'll get our right to self-determination, our right to establish our own democratic, secular Palestinian state on the Palestinian land. That is why this Christmas is unique," said Mayor Victor Batarseh, who is Christian. Late Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told a meeting of Christian leaders that he is committed to reaching peace with Israel, despite a three-year standstill in negotiations. Today, only about one-third of Bethlehem's residents are Christian, reflecting a broader exodus of Christians from the Middle East in recent decades. AP Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/thousands-flock-to-bethlehem-for-christmas-20111225-1p99g.html#ixzz1hfJEzoke [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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