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Hamas Members Mark Christmas, Santa Style -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, December 26 2003 @ 04:58 PM EST Arafat's Kefiyeh marks his empty chair at the Midnight Mass in Bethlehem (AFP) "It is a humanitarian national initiative that we really appreciate," Atallah Hannah of the Greek Orthodox Church in occupied Jerusalem told IslamOnline.net. By YASSER AL BANNA GAZA CITY - A group of Islamic resistance movement Hamas in Bethlehem put on the famous red and white fur Santa hats and Santa suits, dropping gifts on Christian orphans, in a token of religious tolerance where the Christian tradition has it Jesus was born on...

Bethlehem has come a long way since Phillips Brooks assisted in a midnight church service on Christmas Eve, 1865. His inspiration born that night resulted in the words to the now-famous Christmas carol about the quiet village in whose "dark streets shineth the everlasting Light." That light is gone from Bethlehem. In its place are terrorists, and those who hunt them. I spent last week in Israel and I met with many senior Israeli military officials, a smattering of politicians, and some of the Palestinians' principal representatives. It doesn't take much to learn why Arafat's "intifada" is now in its...

BETHLEHEM, West Bank, Nov 30 (Reuters) - There was little more sign of conflict in Bethlehem on Sunday than a toddler toting a plastic rifle in the Nativity Church. But the countdown to Christmas got off to a subdued start more than three years into a Palestinian uprising that has brought misery and decline to the West Bank city revered as the birthplace of Jesus. "Here in Bethlehem the intifada is over," said 23-year-old trinket seller George Hussain. "Everyone is tired. We're just hoping that this year will be better than last, but there are still no tourists." "Do you...

Israel Bars Arafat From Christmas Celebrations in Bethlehem for Third Straight Year By Josef Federman Associated Press Writer Published: Dec 16, 2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel on Tuesday barred Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem for a third straight year, as Egyptian mediators again pressed Palestinian militants to halt attacks. With efforts to revive peace talks at a standstill, Israeli leaders sent a mixed message to the Palestinians: Israel is ready to negotiate but will take unilateral action if peace talks fail. Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has advocated a unilateral pullout from occupied lands in...

..an an unprecedented decision by the Palestinian Authority to charge fees from any networks wishing to broadcast on Christmas from the area near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. In addition, the mass and ceremonies inside the Church of the Nativity will be produced and filmed exclusively by the official Palestinian television station, and no other stations will be allowed to film inside the church.

<p>BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- As Bethlehem put on its traditional holiday parade with whining bagpipe bands and twirling batons, ghosts of a Christmas future hemmed in by Israel's security barrier were haunting many of the Palestinians in this holy city.</p>

<p>A diminished crowd of a few thousand people gathered in Bethlehem's Manger Square on Wednesday for Christmas Eve festivities that have been overshadowed by three years of violence in this West Bank town.</p> <p>Palestinians and a smattering of tourists -- most visitors have stayed away due to the Israeli-Palestinian fighting -- watched as the convoy of Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, arrived in Bethlehem.</p>