Israeli security officials hope for kinder, gentler Bethlehem Christmas
By PETER ENAV

The Associated Press
12/23/04 12:45 EST

JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel is taking special steps to insure a
merry Christmas season in Bethlehem, an Israeli military official
said Thursday, raising hopes for a kinder, gentler holiday in the
traditional birthplace of Jesus after four years of Israeli-Palestinian
violence.

International attention focuses on the West Bank town on Christmas
Eve, so Israeli officials see an improved Christmas atmosphere there
as a boon to Israel’s troubled image.

“The importance of Bethlehem to the Christian world is clear to us,”
said Lt. Col. Aviv Feigel, head of the army’s Bethlehem district
liaison office. “We in the army are preparing ourselves for this
momentous occasion.”

The main difference with previous years is the perception of an
improved atmosphere following the death of Yasser Arafat, though the
military could point to no actual changes in procedures.

Arafat died Nov. 11. Israel accused him of involvement in Palestinian
violence and is hoping for a more pragmatic, nonviolent leadership
to replace him.

Briefing reporters on Israel’s Bethlehem Christmas preparations, Feigel
said Israel would transfer security control there to Palestinian
forces between Dec. 24 and the Armenian Christmas on Jan. 19, and
provide detailed instructions to Israeli soldiers manning Bethlehem
area checkpoints on how to deal with Christian visitors.

Shortly after violence erupted in September 2000, Israel took
control of main West Bank towns and roads, setting up dozens of
roadblocks. Bethlehem is surrounded by Israeli roadblocks, controlling
entry and exit, and the barrier Israel is building in the West Bank
cuts through the town.

Within that framework, the military says it will allow Israeli and
Gaza Christians to visit Bethlehem and will not restrict the numbers
of West Bank Palestinians arriving there.

“Every soldier at the checkpoints will receive a detailed sheet of
information about the importance of Bethlehem to Christians, so they
will know how to behave,” he said.

However, Feigel himself seemed a bit confused by the religious
intricacies of the holiday. In distinguishing Dec. 25 from the separate
Greek Orthodox and Armenian celebrations, he referred to it as the
“Catholic Christmas,” apparently unaware that hundreds of millions
of Protestants celebrate it on the same day.

A town of 40,000 located 6 kilometers (4 miles) south of Jerusalem,
Bethlehem was once a magnet for foreign Christmas visitors, with tens
of thousands crowding Manger Square during the annual midnight mass.

But following the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian violence in
September 2000, the numbers dropped precipitously, falling to only
2,000 last year.

This year Israeli officials are expecting about 4,000 visitors,
reflecting the recent reduction in violence and more relaxed
atmosphere.

(pe/ml)