Photo: Musa Al Shaer
Christian pilgrimage sites in the Holy Land, including sites in Jesus’ birthplace of Bethlehem, will be inaccessible to foreign Christian travelers again this Christmas due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent surge in the omicron variant.
Source: Jesus’ birthplace closed to foreign Christians this Christmas due to omicron variant
Photo: Nasser Nasser
Christmas is usually peak season for tourism in Bethlehem, where Jesus is believed to have been born, but few travelers are making the trek.
Source: ‘It’s almost Christmas and there’s nobody’ in tourist-dependent Bethlehem
Photo: Nasser Shiyoukhi
The year before the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the globe, the numbers of visitors to the Church of the Nativity was unlike any we had ever seen. The queue went all around the inside of the church, all the way back to Manger Square outside the church, and the wait to get inside was three hours long. This great church must continue to be a light in the darkness for generations to come.
Palestinian officials are hoping that the nearly-completed restoration will boost tourism at a time when the West Bank remains under Israeli occupation, plagued by a political stalemate and hobbled by high unemployment.
Source: Jesus’ Bethlehem birthplace gets a makeover. But will it boost tourism?
Palestinian officials say what they believe to be a new baptismal font has been discovered at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Source: Palestinian Officials: Baptismal Font Discovered at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity
Source: Church of the Nativity renovation lifts Christmas spirit in Bethlehem
Palestine – Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem
The Church of Nativity in Bethlehem is an important pilgrimage route recognized by UNESCO. Discover tips for visiting jesus’ birthplace on a Nativity Pilgrimage.
Source: Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem
One of the holiest sites for Christians was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012.
Photo credit: Reuters
Christmas in Bethlehem and Jerusalem is a high point for Christian pilgrims. This year, an old conflict and a new civil war are marring the joyful atmosphere and making Jerusalem feel like a ghost…
Source: A Christmas Tree In Bethlehem, Few Visitors In Jerusalem, Two Wars In The Holy Land
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Aizudin Zainal
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