Security in Bethlehem; Gaza families leave for the WBank to meet relatives

(24 Dec 2014) Thousands of Christian pilgrims gathered for Christmas Eve celebrations in Manger Square in Bethlehem on Wednesday. A Mass was due to be held later on Wednesday at The Church of the Nativity, located at the biblical birthplace of Jesus. One of the visitors to the square was Simon Bassett, who came from the UK with wife Mandy and their three-year-old daughter Aiden. He said he wanted to celebrate Christmas with the Palestinians and hoped that people of all races could live together in harmony. Ahead of his arrival to the biblical West Bank town, Fouad Twal, the top Roman Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, briefly stopped at the separation barrier surrounding Bethlehem and greeted worshippers. "I hope next year there will be no separation wall and I hope we will have bridges of peace," said Twal. The number of Christians in the West Bank is on the decline. Many speak of persecution by the Muslim majority in the West Bank, but always anonymously, fearing retribution. Bethlehem is 10 kilometres (6 miles) south of Jerusalem and is controlled by Israel, which occupied the West Bank in 1967. Some members of Gaza's small Christian community left the territory, also under Israeli control, to participate in Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem on Wednesday. The Israeli military said it granted a total of 700 permits for Gazans to travel to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. About 1,000 Christians live in Gaza among 1.7 (m) million Muslims. Israel usually relaxes travel restrictions for Christians during the holiday season. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...