Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 11:20:55 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

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

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Olmert Proposes New West Bank, Gaza Borders

    Aug 12, 08 11:26 AM CDT
    Olmert Proposes New West Bank, Gaza Borders Ehud Olmert has presented Mahmoud Abbas with a plan to withdraw from most of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip once the Palestinian Authority retakes Gaza from Hamas. The centerpiece of the proposal is a new permanent border that would keep 7% of the West Bank in Israel in exchange for adding some territory to Gaza. Abbas immediately rejected the proposal because it doesn't create a contiguous Palestinian state, though it offers passage without checkpoints between the West Bank and Gaza.
    More »

  • Israeli Hostage Alive: Hamas

    Mar 31, 08 7:52 AM CDT
    Israeli Hostage Alive: Hamas Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is alive, Hamas leader Khalid Meshaal tells Britain's Sky News. "Gilad is alive and we are treating him well but Israel is treating the Palestinian prisoners they hold very badly,"  he said in an interview in Damascus, offering the first word in almost a year on the hostage, who was captured in a cross-border raid in 2006. Meshaal also offered to negotiate with Israeli and Palestinian authorities. More »

  • US 'Will Never Pressure Israel' on Security: VP

    Mar 22, 08 7:24 PM CDT
    US 'Will Never Pressure Israel' on Security: VP The US supports recent Israeli strikes on Palestine and "will never pressure Israel to take steps that threaten its security," Dick Cheney said in Jerusalem today. On a trip to spur stalled peace talks, Cheney is meeting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leaders this weekend. A Hamas spokesman called Cheney's remarks "inciteful and completely biased in favor of the Israeli occupation." More »

  • Peace Talks Snag on Jerusalem

    Feb 19, 08 6:14 AM CST
    Peace Talks Snag on Jerusalem Peace talks between Israel and Palestinians were set to resume today as leaders were already entangled in a first major clash: over whether or not they agreed that Jerusalem would be part of the discussion. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has claimed the Palestinians agreed to put off discussing Jerusalem. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas insisted they have not. More »

  • A Peaceful Xmas in Bethlehem

    Dec 25, 07 6:09 AM CST
    A Peaceful Xmas in Bethlehem This Christmas a huge number of tourists and pilgrims have made their way to Bethlehem, five miles south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. The mayor of the town of Jesus' birth predicted at least 65,000 visitors this Christmas, quadruple the figure just two years ago, CTV reports. The slow peace process has revived tourism in the West Bank. "The atmosphere is better," said one shopkeeper. "There is relative calm, from the security standpoint." More »

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)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 2)

Tags

Palestine • Mahmoud Abbas • West Bank • Christmas • Jesus Christ • Bethlehem


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »