The head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land delivered a message of peace and love amid the ongoing conflict.
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Local Christians in Israel and the West Bank – where they form a 2 per cent minority – and the Gaza Strip, where they are just 0.1 per cent of the population – were also due to attend celebrations in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, the northern Israeli town of Nazareth, Jerusalem, and elsewhere. A fourth Palestinian was killed in clashes with Israeli troops, according to a Palestinian hospital official.
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In manger square, the mood was festive with visitors from all over the world.
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Rula Ma’ayah, Palestinian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, says many people have delayed visits to Palestinian territories out of fear.
They listened to holiday music played by marching bands and scout troops.
Violent protests and a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks targeting Israelis since October have killed 129 on the Palestinian side, 19 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean.
The confrontation seemingly occurred earlier this week, when Mr Abbas’s security forces allegedly refused to allow a specialist Israeli military unit to pass through barriers erected around the Palestinian leader’s home for his safety, Defense News reported.
As the Bethlehem festivities got underway, Miral Siriani, a 35-year-old publicist from Jerusalem, said she was relieved to get a break from three months of tension that has included numerous attacks in her city.
ESTRIN: Yeah, I think it’s a – it’s – maybe you could say it’s a rare occurrence when you’re looking at the entire region here in the Middle East. But yes, there were Christians and Muslims together taking selfies in front of the large Christmas tree.
“In Bethlehem, there are 33 hotels, and the booking this year has barely reached 35 percent, while in previous years, bookings in the hotel exceeded 80 percent”, said Abu Eitta, who expected a big loss in the sector of the Palestinian tourism this year. “The situation between the Palestinians and Israel (is) bad”.
Born in poverty in a cave-like stable, He, who is truly God, came to save us, to forgive our sins and to raise us to new life, and to give us the energy to work towards a better world.
Israel built the barrier a decade ago to stop suicide bombings.
In Bethlehem, Twal wished “peace and love” for all.
But celebrations outside the Nativity Church on Manger Square – traditionally the birthplace of Jesus Christ – are expected to be far more restrained than they have in recent years. My kids also like to see the tree each year.
His concerns were playing out in countries including Iraq, Libya and Syria, where Christians have been threatened by the advance of Islamic State group jihadists.
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The Quinn family, from Milwaukee, Wis., gathers in Manger Square, Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, 2015. The city for years saw prosperity as people came from all over the world to the place where Jesus was born to celebrate his birth. He wished “all inhabitants of the Holy Land” a happy and healthy new year. Other Christmas events were canceled or reduced in scope.
