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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Authorities have stepped up security for the Christmas celebrations, deploying thousands of troops and police outside churches and other public places across the Muslim-majority archipelago.
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank  - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday he would ask U.S. President George W. Bush, who visits the Middle East this week, to curb Israel's West Bank settlements for the sake of peace.
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank  - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday he would ask President George W. Bush, who visits the Middle East this week, to curb Israel's West Bank settlements for the sake of peace.
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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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BETHLEHEM, West Bank, Dec. 24 -- Encouraged by renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Christian pilgrims from around the world converged on Jesus's traditional birthplace Monday to celebrate Christmas -- a palpable contrast to the sparse crowds of recent years.
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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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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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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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As part of his election campaign,Palestine Liberation Organization chief Mahmoud Abbas visited onThursday the northern West Bank town of Jenin and met with localleaders, Palestinian official sources said.
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Christians around the world celebrated Christmas Saturday with Pope John Paul II leading prayers for peace and a more tranquil future, as pilgrims flocked to Bethlehem, and Iraqis stayed away from church amid fears of bomb attacks.
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Masses are held in Bethlehem and Rome as millions of Christians around the world mark the birth of Jesus Christ.
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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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BETHLEHEM, West Bank Israel is passing out candy as it allows people to freely travel into Bethlehem this Christmas Eve. Officials say they expect some five thousand people today and tomorrow to visit the town where Jesus was born.
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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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Four UK church leaders are to make a pilgrimage to Bethlehem just before Christmas.
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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.