Tag Archive for Bethlehem

| March 19, 2013
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Bethlehem removes historic ‘Palestine’ monument from Presidential View

Bethlehem Municipality removes monument of historic Palestine that erases Israel’s existence.

Palestinian activists put it back in place.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

The Bethlehem Municipality has removed a stone monument of historic Palestine out of concern that US President Barack Obama would see it during his visit to the city later this week.

Trinkets for sale in West Bank tourist shop

Palestinian activists expressed outrage over the removal of the monument, which ignores the existence of Israel, and called on the municipality to restore it immediately.

The activists, together with some municipal council members, placed the monument back in place.

Bethlehem Mayor Vera Baboun denied Tuesday that the monument, along with an olive tree, had been removed because of Obama’s visit.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| March 18, 2013
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Rioters in Bethlehem burn pictures of Obama

Protestors in Bethlehem say Obama is not welcome in their city. First they throw shoes at US diplomatic vehicle, then at a billboard with Obama’s picture, then they burned his pictures.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

Palestinians in Bethlehem on Monday set fire to pictures of US President Barack Obama, saying he was not welcome in their city.

Scores of protesters gathered near Manger Square and threw shoes at a US diplomatic vehicle as it arrived at the scene in the context of preparations for Obama’s visit to the city later this week.

Palestinian protestors - Photo Reuters

Palestinian protestors – Photo: Reuters

The protesters also set fire to signs posted in the city earlier this week and reminding Obama that Palestinians still don’t have 3G communications technology. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| March 7, 2013
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PA Advances Plans to Register Additional Sites with UNESCO

Palestinian Authority forms committee to prepare applications to register additional sites, including the Dead Sea, on UNESCO’s world heritage list.

By Elad Benari

 

The Palestinian Authority cabinet on Tuesday decided to form a committee to prepare applications to register sites on UNESCO’s world heritage list, the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported.

Omar Awadallah, the head of UN file in the PA’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the committee’s mission was to prepare heritage sites for the list to “protect them from harm.”

Each ministry has been asked to cooperate with the UNESCO committee, and will prepare the files, he said. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| January 29, 2013
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Governor of Bethlehem forbids any contact with Israel

Gov. Hamayel issues an order forbidding all Palestinian institutions in his district from having any communication with Israel.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

Bethlehem’s PA governor, Abdel Fattah Hamayel, on Sunday issued an order banning Palestinian institutions in his district from having any direct contact with Israel.

Bethlehem

The order applies to all municipal and village councils in the Bethlehem area, as well as Palestinian NGOs and trade institutions.

The governor justified the ban by arguing that Israeli authorities have been avoiding dealing with Palestinians through the Palestinian District Coordinating Office [DCO].

“In wake of repeated Israeli calls to deal directly with Palestinian municipalities and institutions and hold meetings and conferences with the Israeli side, it is forbidden to have direct contact or coordination with Israel,” Hamayel stated in his order. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| January 2, 2013
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Watch rifles, rockets & axes in Fatah rally in Bethlehem Terrorist Parade

With Christmas over, and the Christian tourists gone, watch dozens of veiled Fatah men march in Bethlehem with their axes, guns and rockets, while Palestinian security forces are conspicuously missing from the scene.

Elior Levy

 

A video posted online shows dozens of veiled men taking part in a march marking 48 years since Fatah‘s inception. The men are seen marching at the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem carrying knives, axes, clubs and rifles.

With Christmas over, and the Christian tourists gone, Watch Fatah march in Bethlehem with their axes, guns and rockets. - screenshot

With Christmas over, and the Christian tourists gone, Watch Fatah march in Bethlehem with their axes, guns and rockets. – screenshot

Two men were also seen carrying a rocket model. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| December 26, 2012
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In Depth Report: Why Christians are leaving Bethlehem

Christians feel like they are trapped in a cultural and religious ghetto. Even though Bethlehem is enjoying unprecedented financial & tourism growth, the city’s Christian residents are emigrating abroad in droves because of cultural & religious suffocation in a mostly Muslim city.

Persecution and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are only some of the reasons.

By Nadav Shragai

 

 

A falafel costs five to ten shekels in Bethlehem (in Tel Aviv the average is around 15 shekels). Hotel rooms are also substantially cheaper than hotel rooms in neighboring Jerusalem: only $25 per night. Even the Christmas product industry has managed to maintain low prices thanks to imports from the Far East.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| December 25, 2012
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Video: Watch Christmas Mass in Bethlehem

 

Manger Square packed as thousands celebrate a merry Christmas in Bethlehem, the town where Jesus is believed to have been born.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas attends Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity.

By News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff

 

 

Thousands of Christians from across the world packed Manger Square in Bethlehem on Monday to celebrate the birth of Jesus in the ancient Judean town where it is believed he was born.

Oh, come all ye faithful. Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. – Photo: AP

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, led the Christmas Eve mass at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, thought by millions of Christians to be located at the exact spot of Jesus’ birth.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| December 24, 2012
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Bethlehem’s war on Jesus

But in Israeli controlled Nazareth, no such  intimidation exists. Quite the contrary, the Christian population is flourishing without threats or violence.

By Brian Schrauger

 

It is Christmas Eve in Bethlehem in 2012. Tonight on Manger Road, in Manger Square and on all its thoroughfares, Bethlehem is lit with many-colored lights. Like rivulets they stream down the city’s face, falling in-between vibrant shapes of snowmen and Santas, stars and trees. Why does Bethlehem weep luminescent tears disguised as twinkling strings of light?

Until one week ago there was not a single place in its public square that even gave a hint of the reason for this pagan day’s redemptive transformation into a holy day. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| December 23, 2012
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Anti-Israeli propaganda wrapped up in a Story of Bethlehem.

Squeezing a Story Out of Bethlehem is a great way to seek understanding and good-will, but a few in the media without scruples see this as a propaganda bonanza.

By

 

Every year around this time, it’s the same tired old story. A journalist attempts to find a Christmas angle for Palestinian suffering, most often focusing on Bethlehem’s Palestinian Christian residents. This year is no different and Harriet Sherwood of The Guardian and sister Sunday paper The Observer is the journalist filling the seasonal role.

Hamas rally in Bethlehem – Photo: honestreporting.com

The Guardian regularly trashes or undermines Jewish historical claims to the land of Israel that go back to biblical times. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| December 19, 2012
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Israel issues travel visas to Gazans for Christmas in West Bank

 

500 Christian Palestinians & 75,000 tourists to visit Bethlehem for Christmas

IDF to decrease military activity in area during holidays

By YAAKOV LAPPIN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF

 

The IDF is set to issue permits to some 500 Palestinian Christians residing in Gaza allowing them to travel to the West Bank, specifically Bethlehem, for Christmas. Additionally, at least 20,000 entrance visas will likely be issued to Christian pilgrims who are expected to visit Bethlehem from abroad for the holiday.

Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem - Photo: Michael Omer-Man

Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem – Photo: Michael Omer-Man

The IDF traditionally decreases its activities in the Bethlehem area around the holiday in order to facilitate Christmas celebrations among the Christian community. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , , ,
| December 18, 2012
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Israeli embassy’s Facebook page posted Palestinians would ‘lynch’ Jewish, Jesus & Mary

 

Bethlehem, once a thriving town, 80% Christian, dwindled down to a mere 15% due to religious persecution by the ruling Palestinian Muslims.  The mistreatment of Christians and Jews is nothing new. Gaza, Lebanon & Egypt’s demographics reflect the same phenomenon.

The comment was true….just not diplomatic.

Posted by Max Fisher

 

The official Facebook page of Israel’s embassy to Ireland this morning posted, and then abruptly deleted, a provocative message arguing that “hostile Palestinians” would “lynch” Jesus Christ and his mother, Mary, if they lived in today’s Bethlehem. The town of Jesus’s birth is today part of the Palestinian West Bank.

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Category: Jewish News | Tags: , , ,
| March 31, 2012
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Video: Land Day Riot in Bethlehem

Soldiers in a watchtower in Bethlehem caught Arab rioters hurling stones and firebombs at their position on video.

Land Day turned violent Friday when Arabs began hurling Molotov cocktails and stones at soldiers near the Kalandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem, and Bethlehem to the south.

A video taken by IDF soldiers in a watchtower in Bethlehem showed rioters massing at the security fence and hurling stones and firebombs at their position.

The soldiers inside can be heard reporting a “balagan” – great chaos or confusion – to their commanders and calling for reinforcements via radio while taking video with their personal smart phones. Continue Reading »

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