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October 11, 2008 11:12:39 PM CDT

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Christmas Opens in Bethlehem

Posted Dec 16, 07 5:07 PM CST in World 

(Newser) – The lighting of a four-story tree yesterday in Bethlehem kicked off a joyous season of increased tourism, reports the AP, amid a backdrop of resumed Mideast peace talks. Some 65,000 foreigners are expected to visit the West Bank town this season, the AP reports; only 16,000 visited the famous town two years ago. "The town greatly benefits from this," one resident said.

Israel and Palestine are helping tourists make it securely from Jerusalem to Bethlehem through a military checkpoint. Some 1,500 cops will also keep an eye on festivities this season. Tony Blair even visited last month in what he called a sign that Bethlehem was safe for tourists—a far cry from a few years ago, when Palestinian and Israeli forces exchanged gunfire in the historic town.

Source Associated Press

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Palestinian workers carry a wooden cut-out of Santa Claus to put up in front of their restaurant in Manger Square, near the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Wednesday, Dec....   (Associated Press)
A Palestinian worker fixes a lit star onto a Christmas tree next to the Church of the Nativity, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007....   (Associated Press)
Tourists dressed as Santa Claus look at the Church of Nativity, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, during a Christmas market in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007. (AP...   (Associated Press)
Khaled Rishmawi, 21-years-old, stands in his Santa Clause uniform in front of a local toy shop owned by a distant relative, Hana Rishmawi, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2007. Khaled...   (Associated Press)
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Palestine  • Mahmoud Abbas  • West Bank  • Christmas  • Jesus Christ  • Bethlehem


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