In keeping with tradition, Jerusalem relaxes entry restrictions for Gaza Christians to visit family, or fly via Israel, during the holiday season.
By i24news
Israel will allow 700 Christian Gazans to visit their families in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, while also allowing 400 Gazans to travel abroad through the Ben Gurion airport.
Israel restricts travel between the two Palestinian territories, citing security concerns. Such restrictions are usually relaxed for Christians during the holiday season.
The Palestinian territories are located in the Holy Land at the heart of the Christian faith and include Bethlehem, where tradition says Jesus was born.
But the number of Christians living in the Palestinian territories has fallen to 52,000, or 1.37 percent of the Palestinian population.
Most of them live in the West Bank, while less than six percent are in Gaza. More than double that number — around 7,000 — lived in the Strip only about a decade ago.
According to the CIA World Factbook, Christians make up 8 percent of the population in the West Bank, and 0.7% of Gaza.
View original i24news publication at:
http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/132120-161208-israel-grants-gazans-travel-permits-for-christmas