After two years of COVID lockdowns and reduced tourism, the City of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank is welcoming a more familiar flood of visitors. The traditional site of the birth of Jesus, the city, and the Church of the Nativity have been a pilgrimage for Christians since the time of the Crusades.
Today, the city is open again after two years of almost no one being allowed to visit during the severe COVID restrictions of the past two years. Inns are full. Shops are busy. Thousands of tourists are flooding the city.
According to some reports, Palestinian Christians are being denied access to the city during the holiday because of recent increased tensions and violence between Palestinians and the Israeli government, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967.
Experts estimate that 120,000 visitors will flock to the small town where the Christian messiah is believed to have been born.
The city is a nice place to visit for those who come from Northern countries. With temperatures in the mid-50s (F), it’s comfortable, with a little rain expected over the Christmas holiday.
Photo by Jeswin Thomas: https://www.pexels.com/photo/jesus-christ-figurine-1652555/
Bob Peryea
National Correspondent
The Kentucky Daily