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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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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A limited easing of security tensions raises hopes for a better Christmas.
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SHAME is writ large on Sameh Yateemâs face. The Palestinian Christian from a wealthy family that ran one of Bethlehemâs most popular restaurants is reduced to filling grocery bags at a supermarket checkout.
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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
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In the latest sign that Israeli-Palestinian relations are warming since the death of Yasser Arafat, Israel is allowing easier travel into Bethlehem this Christmas.
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HOUSTON That white pinpoint of light racing across the sky before dawn on Christmas morning won&#39;t be Santa&#39;s sleigh or the star that guided the Wise Men to Bethlehem.
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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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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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Four UK church leaders are to make a pilgrimage to Bethlehem just before Christmas.
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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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As memorial posters of Yasser Arafat fade fast in Bethlehem&#39;s Manger Square, Palestinians in the birthplace of Jesus dare to hope this Christmas will not be as bleak as the last few.
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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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(Undated) Dec. 25, 2004 - As the world celebrates Christmas, there is new hope for peace abroad despite ever-present tensions. The crowds are larger than in recent years at Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ.
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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.
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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