White and peaceful Christmas in Bethlehem
Thousands of tourists flocked to Bethlehem on Saturday for Christmas Eve celebrations, bringing a long-missed sense of holiday cheer to the biblical town where Jesus was born and capping the most peaceful year since the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in September 2000. Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas arrived in town late on Saturday to join the celebrations and attend midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity. It was the first time Abbas, who won election in January, has participated in Christmas celebrations as the Palestinian leader. Speaking to the hundreds of Christians gathered in the ornate church, The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah, called for Israel and the Palestinians to put a final end to violence. The Church of Nativity is erected on the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born.
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