New Hopes for Peace During Christmas in Bethlehem
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank  - Hundreds of pilgrims and a  new Palestinian leadership came to Bethlehem for Christmas as  the town of Jesus's birth celebrated the festival with new  hopes for peace following Yasser Arafat's death.
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In the birthplace of Jesus, Muslims and Christians used to celebrate the season in peace. A TIME correspondent recalls holidays past in a troubled land
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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 -- Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem have brought an atmosphere of peace and goodwill to the holy city.
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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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BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Israel freed up travel into Bethlehem on Christmas Eve and handed out candy to Palestinian and foreign pilgrims at roadblocks, the latest signs of warming Israeli-Palestinian relations since the death of Yasser Arafat.
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A Roman Catholic priest on Saturday led one of the first cheerful Christmas Day celebrations in Bethlehem in years, after fighting, military curfews and a general glum had kept most visitors away since the late 1990s.
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Pope John Paul II shared his fears about Iraq, Sudan and other hot spots and expressed hopes in a Christmas message Saturday that peace-building efforts will bring the world a more tranquil future.
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These days, Bethlehem's hospitals aren't just for the sick. They're becoming havens from Israel too.
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An emerging thaw in Israeli-Palestinian relations helped draw several thousand pilgrims to the traditional birthplace of Jesus on Christmas Eve, but crowds were far smaller than during the mid-1990s.
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Christmas celebrations have been held at the Church of Nativity in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, the historic birthplace of Jesus Christ.
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China's shopping malls in late December leave little doubt that the country has been smitten by Christmas, if not in quite the way devout Christians might hope.
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Several thousand pilgrims celebrated Christmas Eve in the traditional birthplace of Jesus on Friday, welcoming the new thaw in Israeli-Palestinian relations and voicing hopes for peace in the Middle East.
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Gloom was banished from Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem for the first time in years on Monday as Christian pilgrims from all over the world flocked here to celebrate Jesus' birth in an atmosphere of renewed tranquility
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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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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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Thousands of pilgrims and a new Palestinian leadership are celebrating Christmas in the town of Jesus&#39;s birth with prayers for peace after the death of Yasser Arafat.