Christmas cheer returns to Holy City
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Cheer came back partly to the Holy city, considered the birthplace of Jesus with Israel easing travel restrictions and extending goodwill gestures towards pilgrims and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank  - Muslims and Christians joined together on Christmas Eve in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, holding their breath that the festive season would be peaceful and possibly the start of a new dawn.
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- The floors are polished, a Christmas tree glitters near the bar, and the dining room is ready for hundreds of guests: The luxury Paradise Hotel is open for business for the first time since the latest Palestinian uprising erupted in 2000.
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to Ramallah by helicopter. Palestinians welcomed his return as if he was still alive, chanting, &quot;Welcome Abu Ammar, welcome the old man.
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As the faithful marked Christmas Day, political and religious leaders called for peace and reconciliation amid flickers of hope in places long plagued by conflict.
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BAGHDAD -- During Christmases past, Iraqi Christians crowded into the Virgin Mary Church on Karada Street, jovial congregants young and old spilling out noisily onto the sidewalk to celebrate Mass. Even last year, the first Christmas in the shaky postwar era, the pews were nearly filled to their 800-person capacity.
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MIDEAST:Residents hope lessening Israeli-Palestinian violence can help the town regain its tourist industry. BY LAURA KING. BETHLEHEM, West Bank - In this Christmas season of hopes and fears, the little town
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The familiar sound of ringing bells announces the beginning of a Christmas -time tradition. Christmas shoppers are once again reminded by the Salvation Army
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Here is the official English translation of Pope John Paul&#39;s &quot;Urbi et Orbi&quot; (to the city and the world) Christmas message on Saturday.
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem have brought an atmosphere of peace and goodwill to the holy city.
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The pop star arrived in the Holy Land on Wednesday on a spiritual quest, including visits to the graves of revered rabbinical sages, and Israel was abuzz with excitement over the presence of a major star.
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Mellow chiming at the bell-towers of the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Dormition and Assumption of Virgin Mary, the main Catholic church in Ukraine, announced to the arrival of Christmas to hundreds of ...
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As Christmas approaches, Christians around the world turn to thoughts of the Holy Land and the great figures in the Bible.
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Worshippers brought hopes for greater peace in the coming year as they flocked to Manger Square in Bethlehem and to St. Peter&#39;s in the Vatican to hear Christmas messages urging an end to violence, particularly in the Middle East.
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Peace appeals are heard as Palestinian leaders join festivities in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
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Christians around the world have begun celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, with observances marking Christmas Eve. In Bethlehem, the town of Jesus&#39;s birth, Israel has relaxed travel restrictions
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Some two thousand worshippers gathered for Christmas Eve mass in Seoul to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, a festival of religious joy for many in the country.