As much as I loved the retelling of her trip and would love to see all the things she saw (with an excellent tour guide I might add)...that part of the world is pretty iffy.
I wonder if the tours reschedule when something like this happens. Probably not.
You most likely made a good choice in cancelling. Now, back when I was ten feet tall and bullet proof and could run like the wind...I wouldn’t think twice. :)
Each group relies on certain security experts for advice, though even when violence reigns on much of Israel, Muslims are careful to keep it away from Holy Sights, many of which are in their own territory, like Bethlehem and Nazareth. Palestinians rely almost exclusively on tourism (read Christian) for their livelihood, with the exception of millions coming from aid from the U.S.
I do know of at least one group is still planning to go forward with their faithful that spend most Christmas/New Years days in the Holy Land.
After all, as our days are numbered, where better to be than in the same area as the birth and death of our Lord.