Return of the tourists to Bethlehem by Ivana Bruderova

Bethlehem city hall have this year one more reason for looking forward Christmas. In the last months number of tourists was increasing and everything seems to be like this year more than 65 000 visitors will come for Christmas. Bethlehem, the town situated in Israel, is special by the fact it's sacred place both for the Islams and Christians. But due to the tension between Israelis and Palestinians could be the visit of this place extremely dangerous in the last years. The violence spread this mixed Muslim and Christian town during the second Palestinian uprising started in the 2000. Nowadays is this place relatively calm and tourists began to return. Despite of this Bethlehem doesn't appear as a place of "Peace on Earth" as some of people imagine the place of Jesus' birth. The town is from three sides enclosed by the giant concrete walls which don't make you feel more safe. Israel believes in needful of this barriers. It was built to protect Israels from the Palestinian suicide bombers. "It's imprisoning us," said mayor of town Victor Batarseh. If you visit Bethlehem in these days you will not find Christmas atmosphere as we are accustomed to. There is no decorations such a Christmas trees, lights or tinsels due to the problems between Palestinian authority and Bethlehem city hall. But the budget of $50, 000 is prepared to change it in the following days. To persuade tourists it's now safe to stay in Bethlehem, Tony Blair spent night in one of Bethlehem's hotel. Bethlehem need tourists because as Batarseh said they help " breaking the wall of separation barrier, not physically but psychologically."

by Ivana Bruderova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.