Thousands of Christian faithful gathered in Bethlehem’s Manger Square Thursday to celebrate Christmas amid heightened tensions after 100 days of violence between Palestinians and Israelis. The annual Manger Square celebrations in Bethlehem were set to go on, however.
Advertisement
Sri Lanka lose Malinga ahead of New Zealand ODIs
Williamson was a late omission from the first game of the five-match series against Sri Lanka at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval. Injuries apart, the home side have a clear advantage over Sri Lanka in terms of numbers.
Palestinian security forces say they arrested two suspected Islamic radicals in the burning of a Christmas tree in the northern West Bank.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ to Hit Billion Global Sales!
Johnson has also been tasked with writing the screenplay for Episode IX , but Colin Trevorrow will direct instead. But, he said , such things are “very trivial”, compared with bringing comfort to ailing kids.
The Israeli government is quick to cite “security” justifications for its oppressive policies – while in reality, land grab and settlement expansion motives – under the pretext of security – can not be concealed.
Packers win 10th game of the season 30-20
Lacy dazzled with a season-high 124 yards and a touchdown in 24 carries, and Starks was as potent with 71 yards in 11 carries. But the Packers still have their eyes set on a division title and they remained one game ahead of Minnesota in the NFC North.
The Palestinian tourism industry has been consistently on the rise in recent years, but the Palestinian minister of tourism says the sector has been affected by a recent wave of violence.
“We’re in Bethlehem celebrating Christmas, celebrating the birthday of our lord Jesus Christ”.
Still, pilgrims who were at Manger Square in the heart of Bethlehem were proud to have made the trip.
“Our soldiers came to the barrier that blocked off the street and told their soldiers to lower their weapons, that we needed to work here”, a senior Israeli official told Defense News. This Christmas, restorers from Italy have prepared a special unveiling right in Bethlehem’s ancient Church of the Nativity.
There are flashpoints across the West Bank including on the edge of Ramallah and in Bethlehem.
The impact can be seen at a toy shop in Beit Sahour, a neighbouring village. “It hasn’t been this bad since the Second Intifada”, she said, referring to the violent Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s.
This year, Israel, a self-proclaimed “safe haven” for Christians, has presented to Bethlehem a few unwelcome Christmas gifts.
Israel has also built part of its separation barrier here. According to the report, the group are Salafi radicals who were preparing to carry out a terror attack against Western tourists arriving in Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas there. Palestinian Christians seem to be caught in the middle. If you confront them, many times the Christian is beaten.
A wave of violence has led to a sharp decline in the number of pilgrims visiting Bethlehem and the rest of the Holy Land this year, and only a sparse crowd was on hand to welcome Twal’s procession. Considered holy by Christians as the birth place of Jesus, the Christian population has dropped from 60% in 1990 to 15% in 2014.
Youngsters from countries that Francis has visited as pontiff – including Sri Lanka, the Philippines, the United States and, most recently, three African nations – left floral bouquets around a baby Jesus statue near the central altar after Francis unveiled and gently kissed the statue.
Advertisement
A gas tanker truck ignited an inferno at a crowded industrial gas plant in Nigeria on Thursday, killing more than 100 people lining up to refill their cooking gas cylinders in time for Christmas.
