Sober days ahead as Bethlehem seeks Christmas cheer
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank  - Abu Khalil is a man with alcohol on his mind.
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Palestinians lit a four-story Christmas tree in this biblical town Saturday, kicking off a holiday season free of fighting with Israel that officials say will bring the most pilgrims since hostilities broke out seven years ago.
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&quot;Bethlehem should be a free city. It is a symbol of peace, a symbol for all the Christian world and all humanity.&quot;. Praying for peace ... Christian pilgrims visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. However
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Happy Holidays, Philly fans. Since these past few days haven&#39;t been the happiest of times for you, maybe this gift will offer you a bit of consolation and perhaps provide some perspective, as well.
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Aston Villa manager David O&#39;Leary believes his side will come through the Christmas programme with their heads held high despite their poor recent results.
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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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Road travellers may face delays on Christmas Eve as people prepare for a festive journey to or from home.
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank  - Bethlehem souvenir store owner Mike Canawati is gearing up for his merriest Christmas in years.
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Four UK church leaders are to make a pilgrimage to Bethlehem just before Christmas.
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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
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank  - Pilgrims gathered in Bethlehem on Monday for a Christmas mass promoted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Western powers as a chance to highlight the benefits of peacemaking.
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Speaking to a congregation assembled for Christmas mass in a Bethlehem church Friday night, PLO chairman Mahoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) called on Israel to negotiate with the Palestinians.
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Interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Bethlehem under heavy security this evening for Christmas celebrations. It was the first time in four years that a Palestinian leader has spent the holiday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus.
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Christmas Day almost always has its bittersweet elements, except for the very young among us. You give thanks for those who are home for the holiday, and raise a toast and say a prayer for those who aren't and will never be again.
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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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Representatives from Israel&#39;s Tourism Ministry will distribute bags of sweets and special government Christmas cards to Christian pilgrims on their way to midnight mass, Friday night.
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Thousands of pilgrims and a new Palestinian leadership celebrated Christmas in the town of Jesus&#39;s birth yesterday with prayers for peace after the death of Yasser Arafat.