Palestinians, tourists arrive in Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas
Roman Catholic cleric recognises Palestinian state
BETHLEHEM, Dec 24, (AFP): Thousands of Palestinians and tourists flocked into the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Monday to mark Christmas in the “little town” where many believe Jesus Christ was born.
This year’s celebration carries special significance for many Palestinians, coming after 12 months in which their status on the world stage has been significantly upgraded.
Just last month the United Nations granted them the status of non-member observer state, and earlier this year they won their first UNESCO World Heritage Site designation — for Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity.
The designation also included part of a pilgrimage route in Bethlehem, along which the traditional Christmas procession headed by the Latin Patriarch Fuad Twal marched on Monday.
Under nearly cloudless blue skies and a surprisingly warm December sun, thousands of tourists and Palestinians — Muslims and Christians alike — lined the route to welcome the procession.
Dozens of scout troupes of boys and girls from across the West Bank drumming and playing the bagpipes marched into Manger Square, where an enormous Christmas tree decorated with hundreds of red baubles stood behind a Nativity scene. Many Palestinian Christians were dressed in their best, the women in high heels and jewellery, the men in suits, for the occasion.
The parade culminated around 1130 GMT in Manger Square, in front of the Church of the Nativity, which is built over the site where Christians believe Mary gave birth to Jesus in a cattle shed.
Taghreed Rishmawi, 20, a biology student from Bethlehem, was watching the procession with a friend.
“It’s just a really happy time for us, people are happy and excited. It’s particularly special this year because it comes after the UN gave us the state status,” she said.
“That decision gave us hope, and we feel that the world sees us as a state now.”
At midnight, Twal, the most senior Roman Catholic bishop in the Middle East, will deliver the traditional mass to the faithful, with officials including Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, prime minister Salam Fayyad and Jordan’s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh expected to be in attendance.
Last week, in his pre-Christmas press conference, Twal praised the UN decision to upgrade Palestinian status, calling it a “step towards peace and stability in the region”.
“Israel can now negotiate on equal state-to-state terms for the good of all,” he told reporters.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the Palestinians have seen Israel move forward with settlement activity, including around Bethlehem.
The Palestinians say part of the new settlement activity is intended to punish them for the UN upgrade bid, which was fiercely opposed by Israel and the United States.
But Xavier Abu Eid, an advisor to the Palestine Liberation Organisation, said this year’s celebration of Christmas would be particularly meaningful for Palestinians nonetheless.
Meanwhile, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land celebrated the United Nations’ recent recognition of a Palestinian state in his annual preChristmas homily on Monday, saying that while the road to actual freedom from Israeli occupation remains long, the Palestinian homeland has been born.
Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal told followers at the patriarchate’s headquarters in Jerusalem’s Old City that this year’s festivities were doubly joyful, celebrating “the birth of Christ our Lord and the birth of the state of Palestine.”
“The path (to statehood) remains long, and will require a united effort,” added Twal, a Palestinian citizen of Jordan.
From Jerusalem, he set off in a procession for the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Jesus’ traditional birthplace. There, he was reminded that life on the ground for Palestinians has not really changed since the UN recognized their state last month in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Twal had to enter the biblical city through a massive metal gate in the barrier of towering concrete slabs Israel built between Jerusalem and Bethlehem during a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings in the last decade.
Israel, backed by the United States, opposed the statehood bid, saying it was a Palestinian ploy to bypass negotiations. Talks stalled four years ago, primarily over Israel’s construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast war.
Israel has rejected the Palestinians’ demand that it freeze all construction before they will renew talks, and launched a major settlement building push in retaliation for the successful statehood bid.
Hundreds of people were on hand to greet Twal in Manger Square, outside the Church of Nativity. The mood was festive under sunny skies, with children dressed in holiday finery or in Santa costumes, and marching bands playing in the streets. People watch pipers as they parade on Christmas eve in Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in a Biblical West Bank town of Bethlehem, on Dec 24. (AFP) Israeli fire wounds 2 : A Gaza health official says two men have been wounded by Israeli fire in the central Gaza Strip.
The official, Ashraf al-Kidra, says Israeli forces fired at the men east of Deir al-Balah late Sunday. Their identities were unclear. The official initially said the men had been killed, but he said that the two were found to be seriously wounded.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
Such incidents have been rare since Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers wrapped up an eight-day battle last month. Israel launched the offensive to stop years of rocket fire at Israeli communities. (AP)