Bethlehem mayor invites Christmas visits
Bethlehem's mayor called Monday for the Christian world to support Palestinians in the beleaguered town by visiting Jesus' traditional birthplace this Christmas.
Ref. https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20061211...lehem_christmas
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"With the closure of Jerusalem to Palestinians and the limitation of permits granted by the Israeli authorities, unemployment has soared to 65 percent, which simply means that 65 percent of the people of Bethlehem live under the poverty line," he said. |
There is not a chance that I would go to Bethlehem.
The reason that Palestinians are banned from Jerusalem, and that trade has languished with Israel is that so many Palestinian Arabs have used their trade status to murder and create chaos.
Too bad that their "brothers" in Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon won't trade with them.
If I remember rightly, Palestinian Arabs have directly attacked many Christian sites over the last few years, including the major Catholic church in Bethlehem. Why put yourself directly into danger, when you KNOW that the sites you want to visit are targets?
Christmas in Bethlehem
Bethlehem has seen a record number of tourists this year and its thousands of hotel rooms are fully booked for Christmas week, thanks to steadily declining violence in the West Bank over the past few years. Ref. Source 8
Why Not Visit The Actual Birthplace? (Hover)