Abbas attends Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem
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BEIJING, Dec. 25 -- Under heavy security, Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Mahmoud Abbas arrived in the holy West Bank city of Bethlehem Friday night to attend Christmas celebrations.
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank  - Thousands of pilgrims flocked to Bethlehem on Monday for a Christmas mass which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Western powers hope will highlight the benefits of peacemaking.
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The New Year's Eve celebrations in the small community of Paraiba do Sul will honor a figure the town's mayor says hasn't been honored anywhere else in the West &#151; the late Yasser Arafat.
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Pope John Paul II led prayers for peace and a more tranquil future, pilgrims flocked to Bethlehem and Iraqis stayed away from church for fear of bomb attacks as Christians around the world celebrated Christmas over the weekend.
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank  - Pilgrims and a new  Palestinian leadership celebrated Christmas in the town of  Jesus's birth with prayers for peace on Saturday, lifted by  fresh hope following Yasser Arafat's death.
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With the lighting of a candle for peace in his window, Pope John Paul began Christmas holiday celebrations that posed a new test for his frail health not long after visitors celebrated in Bethlehem.
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Hundreds of pilgrims and a new Palestinian leadership came to Bethlehem for Christmas as the town of Jesus&#39;s birth celebrated the festival with new hopes for peace following Yasser Arafat&#39;s death.
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank  - Thousands of pilgrims and  a new Palestinian leadership celebrated Christmas in the town  of Jesus's birth Saturday with prayers for peace after the  death of Yasser Arafat.
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Israeli soldiers sent sweets and Christmas greetings to Palestinians in Bethlehem today, the latest sign that relations between the sides have warmed since the death of Yasser Arafat.
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Israel is taking special steps to insure a merry Christmas in Bethlehem, an Israeli military official said Thursday, raising hopes for a gentler holiday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus after four years of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
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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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Mahmoud Abbas will be sworn in as Palestinian president at a ceremony in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
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JERICHO, West Bank  - Emergent Palestinian leader  Mahmoud Abbas drew cheers at his first election rally on  Tuesday by vowing to follow in Yasser Arafat's footsteps while  stressing he would seek a state via peace talks with Israel.
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Saudi King Fahd receives Palestinian officials Mahmud Abbas (2L), chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei (2R), and Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath (R), December 13 in Riyadh.
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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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In the latest sign that Israeli-Palestinian relations are warming since the death of Yasser Arafat, Israel is allowing free travel into Bethlehem this Christmas Eve.
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Encouraged by renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Christian pilgrims from around the world converged on Jesus' traditional birthplace Monday to celebrate Christmas Â a palpable contrast to the sparse crowds of recent years.