Nativity Gets Record Number of Tourists

by Pamela Mortimer

Ever since the Israeli-Palestinian fighting broke out in 2000, most of the people strolling around Manger Square in the center of Bethlehem on Christmas were local Palestinians. 2007 saw a resurgence in the number of tourists from all over the world, many of whom had returned after years of avoiding the potentially dangerous region.

Tiago Martins, 28, from Curitiba, Brazil, said he was excited about the journey. Martins said that the peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis reassured him that there was no threat to his safety.

"The idea that it’s a Christian city makes me more calm, and I think going to the West Bank is more comfortable since Annapolis," Martins said, referring to the Israeli-Palestinian peace conference held last month.

Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh predicted earlier this month that the break in violence would encourage some 65,000 tourists to visit the traditional site of Jesus’ birth this year. The number is expected to be four times greater than the number that made the trek to Bethlehem for Christmas in 2005.

Even with all of the celebration, it is still clear the conflict which has killed approximately 4,400 Palestinians and 1,100 Israelis in the past seven years still exists.

There are gray concrete walls that measure about 25 feet high which enclose Bethlehem on three sides. It’s part of a separation barrier that Israel is building to keep out attackers from the West Bank. Palestinians allege that the walls and accompanying electronic fence is a thinly veiled land grab.

Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, the Roman Catholic Church’s highest official in the Holy Land, was able to reach Bethlehem by passing through a massive steel gate in the barrier. Sabbah, clad in a flowing gold and burgundy robe, was escorted by Israeli mounted policemen. After Sabbah entered, police shut the gate behind the Patriarch.

Last week, Sabbah entered the charged debate over Israel’s Jewish character. He alleged that Israel’s identity as a Jewish state is responsible for discriminating against non-Jews.

"If there’s a state of one religion, other religions are naturally discriminated against," Sabbah — the first Palestinian to hold the position — told reporters at his annual pre-Christmas press conference. Israel rejected his claim that people of other faiths do not enjoy equal rights.