Pilgrims return to Bethlehem

Israeli soldiers sent sweets and Christmas greetings to Palestinians in Bethlehem today, the latest sign that relations between the sides have warmed since the death of Yasser Arafat.

During four years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, Christmas in Bethlehem was marked by gloom, military curfews and violence.

This year, visitors are flowing freely through the Israeli army checkpoint to celebrate in the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

At the heavily fortified Jerusalem-Bethlehem checkpoint, an Israeli Tourism Ministry sign decorated with bells and a red ribbon wished Christians “Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year”.

Above it was the army’s sign telling visitors in Hebrew, Arabic and English to “Stop and wait for instructions. Prepare documents for inspection”.

Soldiers were given special instructions on how to handle Christian pilgrims crossing into Bethlehem, and the army granted Palestinians complete security control over the West Bank town of 40,000 during the holiday season, a first in nearly four years.

Baskets of sweets were being handed out to pilgrims crossing into Bethlehem from Jerusalem, said Rafi Ben-Hur, the ministry’s deputy director. "The pilgrims are being asked to give the sweets to Palestinians in Bethlehem,” he added.

“This is our personal greetings for a happy holiday from Israel,” Ben-Hur said. “We see the pilgrims as a bridge for peace.”

Four years of violence has dealt a severe blow to Bethlehem’s economy, which heavily relies on tourism. Dozens of souvenir shops and restaurants have shut down. Hotel rooms have remained mostly barren, and Christians have been moving abroad.

But this year, Israeli and Palestinian officials predicted a merrier Christmas, though far from the glory days when thousands of people celebrated in Bethlehem’s Manger Square well after Midnight mass had ended.

The Christmas cheer and attempt at co-ordination is the result of several meetings between Israeli and Palestinian tourism officials, including the ministers, in the wake of Arafat’s death, Ben-Hur said.

Dozens of armed Palestinian policemen stood guard in Manger Square – the stone-paved courtyard outside the Church of the Nativity, which Christians believe is built on the grotto where Jesus was born.

But Israel’s West Bank security barrier – which has effectively cut Bethlehem in half and dealt a further blow to the town’s already listless economy – has put a damper on this year’s celebrations, said Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Nasser.

“This is the city of peace where we should have peace ... because the prince of peace was born here in the city, but unfortunately peace is missing still in this city,” the mayor said.