Christmas is not necessarily the optimal time to visit Bethlehem. Not, at least, this year, after the mayor announced that Christmas is cancelled as a result of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza.

Israeli forces demolished a sheep farm and a home in the southern West Bank governorate of Bethlehem, while a citizen was forced to dismantle an ...

"Now the tourism sector is dead." Drawn by historical sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and Tel Aviv's white sandy beaches, some three million tourists flocked to Israel in the first nine months ...

Christmas morning in Bethlehem is somber, not the usual joyful town with parades and bands in Manger Square. Church leaders canceled celebrations there because of the Israel-Hamas war. Some ...

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — In the little town of Bethlehem, Christmas this year is barely a whisper. Palestinian scouts paraded ...

Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, were cancelled this year. The West Bank town was instead patrolled by Palestinian security forces amid the Israel-Hamas war.

One of the few visitors is Florida resident Linda Nocera. It's her fifth trip to Israel, but her first visit to Bethlehem. Nocera thinks the decision by the city's churches to forego Christmas ...

Even before the latest war the fortunes of Christians in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, were fast declining. Gaining permits from the Israeli authorities to travel in and out of Bethlehem and ...

Around half of the population in the Bethlehem area, including nearby villages, works in either tourism or in jobs in Israel. The unemployment rate in Bethlehem is roughly 50%, said Salman.

A church in Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, is receiving attention for its decision to redesign its Christmas nativity scene to reflect the impact of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

even as the ongoing conflict with Israel disfigured the biblical landscape surrounding Bethlehem. Though he could live and work elsewhere, he said he feels a call of duty to stay and minister to ...

Meanwhile, an Israeli-built wall partially encircles Bethlehem, cutting it off from Jerusalem and stifling homebuilding and urban growth. Israel says the wall is a necessary security measure to ...