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22 Dec, 2013

Little Palestinian town of Bethlehem wants tourists back – The Washington Post

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — There’s been something missing in the birthplace of Christianity: Christians.

For years, Palestinian Christians have been quietly abandoning the place where Jesus is said to have been born in a manger. Middle-class residents here have packed their bags for less chaotic lives in Latin America, Europe and the United States.

Tourism ground to a halt more than a decade ago, during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, and is now experiencing a comeback.

But Palestinians say major challenges remain: the Israeli military checkpoints and security barrier that separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem, a ten minute drive away; the shuttered homes and shops that are symbols of a stagnant economy; and the Israeli settlements that are growing around Bethlehem on land claimed by the Palestinians for a future state.

Read the rest: Little Palestinian town of Bethlehem wants its tourists, Christian residents to come back – The Washington Post.