How cute! Merry Christmas, Loddy!
Bethlehem Shows Israel-Palestinian Warming
1 hour, 57 minutes ago
By HAITHAM HAMAD, Associated Press Writer
BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Israel freed up travel into Bethlehem on Christmas Eve and handed out candy to Palestinian and foreign program's at roadblocks, the latest signs of warming Israeli-Palestinian relations since the death of Yasser Arafat (news - web sites).
During more than four years of fighting, Christmas in the traditional birthplace of Jesus has been marked by gloom, military curfews and violence. The town is ringed by Israeli checkpoints and a massive separation barrier.
However, on Friday, troops eased restrictions at roadblocks leading into Bethlehem, allowing Palestinians and foreigners to pass more quickly. Military officials said they expected about 5,000 visitors for the two-day holiday, ans that 280 Palestinians from Gaza came to the city.
Israeli troops also handed security responsibility for Bethlehem to the Palestinian security forces for the duration of Christmas, allowing the Palestinian police to carry their weapons in the city, officials said.
Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah led a procession of about 1,000 Christians through Bethlehem to begin the celebrations. A Palestinian scout group band accompanied them playing bagpipes and clashing cymbals as the crowd slowly marched through the town.
By early evening, much of Manger Square — the stone-paved courtyard outside the Church of the Nativity, which Christians believe is built on the grotto where Jesus was born — had cleared out. Several hundred people, most of them Palestinian teenagers, walked through the nearby streets. With a cold rain coming down, vendors sold nuts and other snacks, and people drank coffee to keep warm.
Under heavy security, interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Bethlehem after nightfall to join the celebrations — the first time a Palestinian leader has marked Christmas in Bethlehem in four years.
Beginning in 2001, Israel barred Arafat from traveling to Bethlehem, accusing him of supporting violence. Since Arafat died on Nov. 11, Israel has made a number of goodwill gestures toward Abbas, whom it considers a moderate.
In the square, Palestinian flags outnumbered Christmas lights and balls. But this year, only two Arafat posters hung in the square, compared to previous years when the late-Palestinian leader's picture was the most popular decoration.
"We ask God and wish that all the religions in this country will live in peace and security," Abbas said in a Christmas greeting. "I hope next year will be much better than the previous ones."
Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Nasser said Israel's West Bank security barrier — which has effectively cut Bethlehem in half and dealt a further blow to the town's already listless economy — has put a damper on this year's celebrations.
"This is the city of peace where we should have peace ... because the prince of peace was born here in the city, but unfortunately peace is missing still in this city," Nasser said.
But there was some cheer at the heavily fortified main crossing from Jerusalem into Bethlehem. An Israeli Tourism Ministry sign decorated with bells and a red ribbon read, "Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year" — it was hung below the army's permanent sign asking visitors in Hebrew, Arabic and English to prepare documents for inspection.
"A call to all people of faith: Visit the Holy Land now," declared other Tourism Ministry signs hanging on the concrete slabs near the checkpoint.
Israel handed out baskets of candies to Palestinians and foreign pilgrim crossing into Bethlehem, said Rafi Ben-Hur, the Israeli Tourism Ministry's deputy director. The pilgrims were asked to give the candies to Palestinians in Bethlehem, he added.
"This is our personal greetings for a happy holiday from Israel," Ben-Hur said. "We see the pilgrims as a bridge for peace."
Soldiers were instructed to treat visitors to Bethlehem with the utmost respect, said Lt. Col. Aviv Feigel, head of the Israeli military liaison office in the area. "We certainly hope that these events are a positive sign for the future," Feigel told Israel Radio.
Four years of violence dealt a severe blow to Bethlehem's economy, which heavily relies on tourism. Dozens of souvenir shops and restaurants have shut down. Hotel rooms have remained mostly barren, and Christians have been moving abroad.
But this year, Israeli and Palestinian officials predicted a merrier Christmas, though still far from the glory days when thousands of people celebrated in Bethlehem's Manger Square well after Midnight mass had ended.
Rony Tabash, a 23-year-old shopkeeper, said the easing on travel restrictions brought some relief to Bethlehem, but that business at his souvenir shop remained dismal.
Tabash, who spent the evening in his empty shop with a relatives and a few visiting friends from Europe, said he sold about $40 worth of ornaments, compared to thousands of dollars of sales during the boom years.
"It's better than any (recent) year, but it's also bad," he said. Still, he said he remained hopeful things will get better. "Without hope, you cannot live," he said.
Bethlehem Shows Israel-Palestinian Warming
1 hour, 57 minutes ago
By HAITHAM HAMAD, Associated Press Writer
BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Israel freed up travel into Bethlehem on Christmas Eve and handed out candy to Palestinian and foreign program's at roadblocks, the latest signs of warming Israeli-Palestinian relations since the death of Yasser Arafat (news - web sites).
During more than four years of fighting, Christmas in the traditional birthplace of Jesus has been marked by gloom, military curfews and violence. The town is ringed by Israeli checkpoints and a massive separation barrier.
However, on Friday, troops eased restrictions at roadblocks leading into Bethlehem, allowing Palestinians and foreigners to pass more quickly. Military officials said they expected about 5,000 visitors for the two-day holiday, ans that 280 Palestinians from Gaza came to the city.
Israeli troops also handed security responsibility for Bethlehem to the Palestinian security forces for the duration of Christmas, allowing the Palestinian police to carry their weapons in the city, officials said.
Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah led a procession of about 1,000 Christians through Bethlehem to begin the celebrations. A Palestinian scout group band accompanied them playing bagpipes and clashing cymbals as the crowd slowly marched through the town.
By early evening, much of Manger Square — the stone-paved courtyard outside the Church of the Nativity, which Christians believe is built on the grotto where Jesus was born — had cleared out. Several hundred people, most of them Palestinian teenagers, walked through the nearby streets. With a cold rain coming down, vendors sold nuts and other snacks, and people drank coffee to keep warm.
Under heavy security, interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Bethlehem after nightfall to join the celebrations — the first time a Palestinian leader has marked Christmas in Bethlehem in four years.
Beginning in 2001, Israel barred Arafat from traveling to Bethlehem, accusing him of supporting violence. Since Arafat died on Nov. 11, Israel has made a number of goodwill gestures toward Abbas, whom it considers a moderate.
In the square, Palestinian flags outnumbered Christmas lights and balls. But this year, only two Arafat posters hung in the square, compared to previous years when the late-Palestinian leader's picture was the most popular decoration.
"We ask God and wish that all the religions in this country will live in peace and security," Abbas said in a Christmas greeting. "I hope next year will be much better than the previous ones."
Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Nasser said Israel's West Bank security barrier — which has effectively cut Bethlehem in half and dealt a further blow to the town's already listless economy — has put a damper on this year's celebrations.
"This is the city of peace where we should have peace ... because the prince of peace was born here in the city, but unfortunately peace is missing still in this city," Nasser said.
But there was some cheer at the heavily fortified main crossing from Jerusalem into Bethlehem. An Israeli Tourism Ministry sign decorated with bells and a red ribbon read, "Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year" — it was hung below the army's permanent sign asking visitors in Hebrew, Arabic and English to prepare documents for inspection.
"A call to all people of faith: Visit the Holy Land now," declared other Tourism Ministry signs hanging on the concrete slabs near the checkpoint.
Israel handed out baskets of candies to Palestinians and foreign pilgrim crossing into Bethlehem, said Rafi Ben-Hur, the Israeli Tourism Ministry's deputy director. The pilgrims were asked to give the candies to Palestinians in Bethlehem, he added.
"This is our personal greetings for a happy holiday from Israel," Ben-Hur said. "We see the pilgrims as a bridge for peace."
Soldiers were instructed to treat visitors to Bethlehem with the utmost respect, said Lt. Col. Aviv Feigel, head of the Israeli military liaison office in the area. "We certainly hope that these events are a positive sign for the future," Feigel told Israel Radio.
Four years of violence dealt a severe blow to Bethlehem's economy, which heavily relies on tourism. Dozens of souvenir shops and restaurants have shut down. Hotel rooms have remained mostly barren, and Christians have been moving abroad.
But this year, Israeli and Palestinian officials predicted a merrier Christmas, though still far from the glory days when thousands of people celebrated in Bethlehem's Manger Square well after Midnight mass had ended.
Rony Tabash, a 23-year-old shopkeeper, said the easing on travel restrictions brought some relief to Bethlehem, but that business at his souvenir shop remained dismal.
Tabash, who spent the evening in his empty shop with a relatives and a few visiting friends from Europe, said he sold about $40 worth of ornaments, compared to thousands of dollars of sales during the boom years.
"It's better than any (recent) year, but it's also bad," he said. Still, he said he remained hopeful things will get better. "Without hope, you cannot live," he said.